In My Blood
by Lil Red Writin' Hood
Summary: Growing up she'd heard stories of a force so great they were nearly unstoppable: The Ghosts. She always knew she wanted to be a part of them. Now that she is she knows this is where she was always meant to be. But there's a threat rising in the south, targeting Ghosts, & no one's quite sure how this war is going to end or if they'll even survive. Fem!Logan,slight AU details inside
1. Prologue

**A/N: Alright, so, as I said slight AU [Logan's a girl and is now named Charlie (I still wanted a boyish name but I hated Logan for a girl). I will also probably be tweaking some ages slightly and adding an OC. There will be Charlie-Logan/OC.] The title for this fic comes from the song of the same name by Black Stone Cherry. I thought the tone of the song fit the attitude I'm aiming for in this fic. In case it's not obvious, this is my first fic so I apologize if it's a little rough. Reviews are welcome and I will try to respond to any questions, comments, concerns I receive. I'm going to aim for a chapter every Saturday. Obviously shit happens so I won't be perfect but that's my goal.**

**Also, I do not own COD: Ghosts or its characters, that all belongs to Activision or so the case tells me. **

Do I wonder what my life would've been like if I hadn't been been raised by two military men; one my father, the other my older brother dying to follow in Dad's footsteps? Do I wonder what life would have been like if Mom hadn't died, if she had been around to raise me like the little girl she'd always wanted? Would I have been a dancer? An actress? A singer? Not really, at least, not much anymore. I like to think that even if she had been around she wouldn't have been able to change much. Just like David used to look up to Dad, I idolized my big brother. And just like David was itching to follow in Dad's footsteps, I was desperate to follow in his. I never did like getting left behind when they'd go on their camping trips. Eventually Dad took the hint and started bringing me with them and after that they couldn't get rid of me. I don't think Mom could've changed much, I was always Daddy's little girl. So, no, I don't really wonder what my life would've been like if Mom could've been here. Nothing would've changed. My name's Charlie Shea Walker, Char or Charlie to my friends, "That bitch" to anyone unfortunate enough to be my enemy, and I'm a soldier, born and raised.


	2. Ch 1 - Ghost Stories

**A/N: As before, I don't own COD: Ghosts or its characters etc. that all belongs to Activision as does the actual "Ghost story" in this chapter. **

"It was a different time, a different enemy. Sixty men, from Tier One teams, were sent to face down a force of five hundred enemy fighters. Their objective: to force the enemy back from a civilian hospital, and keep its occupants alive. For three days, they held their ground, but the enemy's numbers were too great. The sixty were cut down to fifteen. They wouldn't last another night, and the enemy knew it. Under the cover of darkness, they evacuated the hospital, sending only one of their own to lead the way. The rest returned to the line, and took up positions beneath the bodies of their fallen brothers. As they lay in wait, the blood from the dead poured over them. The sand stuck to their skin like a shroud. Changing them. Anointing them. When the enemy drew near, the remaining fourteen rose out of the desert sand. They were like hunters that couldn't be seen, using stealth their enemies couldn't defend against. When the men ran dry of ammunition, they used their blades...and when the blades ran dull, they used their hands. When the dust and sand had settled, only one of the enemy had survived. He was picked up in the desert, wandering aimlessly, traumatized. He expressed warnings to others of a force so menacing and unbeatable, it could only be described as supernatural. He called them...'Ghosts'."

I love that story. I swear it gets better every time he tells it and he's told it so many times I pretty much have it memorized by now. Still, even after all the times he's told it, I can't help but whisper 'Ghosts' along with him in hushed reverence. Other kids' superheroes wear spandex and capes. Mine wear cammies, blood and sand.

"And this really happened?" asks Hesh, his tone conveying his complete disbelief.

I scowl at that. Hesh used to love these stories just as much as I do. Since he turned 18 and joined up though he thinks he's too cool for them. What a dork.

"So the legend goes."

"Come on, Dad. You don't honestly believe that story is true?"

Stupid Hesh. Thinks he's so smart. Thinks he's too cool for Ghosts. Freaking goober.

"Yeah. I do. C'mon, let's head back to the house."

I just sigh and stretch but Hesh isn't moving to get up either.

"Let's go. Shake a leg."

Dad takes off and Hesh hops up. He gives me his hand and pulls me up to my feet.

"You're starting to get a little heavy there Char," he teases.

"You're just getting soft, jerk."

We run to catch up with Dad, slowing once we reach him. We hike in silence for a while before I break it.

"I think it's true."

"What are you talking about Char?" Hesh asks me and Dad just watches us out of the corner of his eye as we keep going.

"The Ghosts. They're real and when I grow up I'm going to join them."

Dad smiles but Hesh just laughs and shakes his head.

"Sure you are little sister."

"I am! And it's going to be a secret and you won't know anything about it. And whenever you say something stupid about the Ghosts not being real I'll just laugh 'cause **I'll** know you're wrong."

Dad gets a laugh out of that and shoots me an approving smile.

"You tell him Charlie."

I just smile back before he turns back around. Then I'm stumbling as the ground shakes below us.

"Woah, little tremor there," Hesh says, briefly grabbing my arm to keep me from falling on my face.

Dad let's out a short laugh and shakes his head.

"Those things used to freak the hell out of your mother."

Yeah, and I can see why. The ground shakes again but I'm able to keep my footing this time.

"Another one?" I ask, not quite able to keep the worry from my voice.

"We'll get a couple more of 'em before everything settles down," Dad says, his tone soothing.

"Wind's starting to pick up too," Hesh notices.

The ground shakes again, practically knocking me down. A tree falls across the path in front of us.

"Dad?"

Crap. Now Hesh is starting to worry too.

"Let's just get to the house. Make sure nothing got damaged."

Dad's trying to keep us calm but the soothing tone from earlier is missing. He's worried too. Dad and Hesh jump the tree easily. I'm a little surprised when I manage to vault it with ease too. We hurry up the hill and as the street comes into view there's chaos. Smoke's in the air, houses are burning. There's a mess of horns and screeching tires. I'm scared and I can tell Hesh is too when he speaks.

"Dad what's happening?!"

"ODIN! It's ODIN! To the house, kids! Now!"

Dad's scared too. From the tone of his voice you'd think the world was ending. Hell, looking around I think maybe it is.

"Careful!" Hesh warns as he pulls me out of the street.

I just miss getting mowed down by the truck that goes speeding by. Dad missed the entire thing.

"It's not an earthquake!"

"What are you talking about?!"

I'm glad Hesh is speaking for both of us because right now I don't think I could string a sentence together if my life depended on it.

"You two get to the house and stay there! I'm going for the truck!"

"But Dad!"

"Just do it, son!"

"C'mon, Charlie!"

Dad takes off one way while me and Hesh run up the hill to our backyard.

"What the hell is going on?!"

I really hope he doesn't expect me to answer him because I don't have a clue.

"This way, Charlie! Climb over! It's not safe out here!"

He hops over a ledge and I'm following right behind him until the earth rumbles below me again and I'm sent tumbling into the pool. Another rumble and a horrific crack sends me scrambling out onto the pool deck as the pool splits and begins to drain. I'm up and running after Hesh a second later, shoes squishing with water.

"Get inside!"

Hesh is already there. He grabs my hand and yanks me inside, slamming the door shut behind me as I slip and slide on the tile. We take a second to catch our breath and start walking through the house. Hesh is worried. He's running his hands through his hair, tugging at it like Dad does when something's bothering him.

"What the hell was Dad talking about?! What's ODIN?! Come on!"

I guess we're heading for the front door but another tremor stops us cold. Knocks me to the ground, dust and debris are falling all around us.

"Hesh..."

I really try not to let it but it comes out as a whine. Hesh ignores it and picks me up, setting me back on my feet before heading for the door again.

"This place isn't going to take much more of that. We're not gonna die here! Come on!"

He tries the door but it's stuck.

"It's jammed! Help me out!"

I don't move but Hesh doesn't yell at me. I'm terrified and even my goober brother knows it.

"Hesh, I'm scared."

He hurries over and looks down at me, rubbing my arms reassuringly as my sopping clothes drip on the floor and my hair sticks to my face.

"Hey, easy Char. It's okay, I won't let anything bad happen to you okay? You want to be a Ghost right?"

I just bite my lip and nod.

"Well you've got to practice. That's all this is. We're practicing to be Ghosts, okay Charlie?"

That makes me smile. I let out a laugh and nod again. Hesh hurries back to the door and I take the other side.

"Okay! Three, two, one, push!"

Apparently the door wasn't as stuck as we thought because we hit it and go flying out. We both manage to land on our feet. Soon as we touch the ground though we see a missile hit touchdown in the distance and I'm the first to speak.

"Holy crap!"

It hits and there's a rumble through the air as the shockwave sends us flying back and does all sorts of damage to everything else. We're both quick to get back to our feet though.

"Come on! Dad said he was going for the truck! We have to find him!"

Hesh takes off running and I'm sprinting after my brother as pavement cracks and falls and fissures spring up and try to swallow us whole. In the back of my mind I realize I should be freaking out but I push it aside. I don't have time to be scared, I'm too busy being a Ghost.

Hesh doesn't talk much other than to shout directions and encouragement as I follow along behind him.

"Get across! Quick! ... Keep running, we can get through this! ... Through that house!"

I'm quick following him up the stairs but I hesitate when we get there and the only way down is onto the roof of another house.

"We gotta jump!"

Hesh jumps onto the next roof, tugging me behind him. When we land though The roof gives out and we go crashing through it. I land, hard, and man does that hurt. Don't have time to think about it though because Hesh is pulling me to my feet and I'm running up the stairs behind him.

"Run upstairs, we have to get above ground! Just keep running! Look out!"

I look up and see a tanker flying through the air. _Holy crap, we're gonna die._ Hesh is pulling me down and back but the tanker hits and blows, sending us both crashing to the ground where everything goes dark.

"Charlie?!"

Hesh's voice makes me open my eyes but everything's fuzzy and man, do I hurt. Everywhere. My mouth feels full of ash and my lungs feel funny. I'm coughing when Hesh throws my arm around his shoulder and hauls me up while Dad's running to us. That's weird, where'd he come from?

"Hesh?! Charlie?! You alright?!"

He's yelling, I think, but he doesn't sound right. Then again neither does Hesh. Everything's ringing. I think I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. That's new.

"Dad?! We're okay!"

"Get in the truck, kids! Get her in the truck! Get her in now! We got to get out of here!"

Suddenly Dad's on my other side and he's helping Hesh lift me into the truck.

"You're gonna be alright, hun."

I'm pinned between the side of truck and my brother when Dad slams the tailgate. He climbs into the cab and takes off as I try to keep my head from bobbling around so much. _God, if you keep me from puking all over myself I promise to be nicer to bobble-heads from now on._

"Hold on kids!"

_Whatever you say Dad_. I'm tired. Like really tired. I want to take a nap. Everything's fading in and out, Hesh is telling me to stay awake and I'm trying, really I am. In the distance I can make out the blur of the San Diego skyline. A missile strikes destroying the skyline of my home and a thought hits me hard as everything starts to fade to black. _Nothing's ever going to be the same._


	3. Ch 2 - Mutually Assured Destruction

** A/N: As before, I don't own COD: Ghosts or its characters etc. I do however claim responsibility for Charlie's snark and awkwardness, along with Ryder. Sorry for the wait. As a result I will be posting two chapters as soon as FF is back up and running.**

**On a another note, I went ahead and added this to the A/N in the prologue but I'll put it here too for those that don't want to backtrack to read it: The title for this fic comes from the song of the same name by Black Stone Cherry. I thought the tone of that song fit the tone I'm aiming for in this fic. In case it's not obvious, this is my first fic so I apologize if it's a little rough. Reviews are welcome and I will try to respond to any questions, comments, concerns I receive. I'm also going to aim for a chapter every Saturday. Obviously shit happens so I won't be perfect but that's my goal. Now, without further ado, chapter 2.**

"What about Logan?"

"You don't even **have** a dog yet, why are you trying to name it? Besides, Logan's not a dog name it's a human name. You know, my dad wanted to name me Logan if I was a boy. Tried to get my mom to name me that even when I wasn't but she vetoed it."

"I'm glad. Logan doesn't suit you. And what do you mean I can't name it Logan because it's a human name? Your dog's name is Riley. **That's** a human name."

"That's different, Ryder," I tell him, tearing my eyes away from the window full of puppies to give him a sideways glance, "I've met more dog Rileys than I have humans. Besides, how are you supposed to come up with the right name before you get to know it?"

"I suppose you're right," he says straightening and taking my hand as we turn to walk away, "Say, how do you feel about dinner at my place tonight?"

"Sounds great! I can't stay too late though, I have to get an early start tomorrow."

"Right, you're back on tomorrow aren't you?"

I just nod and Ryder sighs before letting my hand go so he can wrap his arm around my shoulders, hugging me to his side and kissing the top of my head as we continue our stroll.

"Where does the time go? Well, since you've got an early start how about we do dinner at your place then?"

"**No**."

Ryder stops short at my sudden refusal, dropping his arm from my shoulders and giving me a surprised look before a wry understanding covers his face.

"Oh, I see. Dad and Brother will be home tonight then?"

Two more weeks and we'll have been together six months. I still haven't introduced him to Hesh or Dad. Ryder, proper gentleman that he is, isn't one to press the issue but I know it bothers him. I'm just worried. Worried that they won't like him, or he won't like them. Worried that the three most important men in my life will end up at each other's throats. I give him a tentative nod and he doesn't say anything else, we just walk on in silence, hands intertwined again. I take the opportunity to just study him. The sun playing in his hair makes it look more copper than brown today though I know from experience it usually falls somewhere in between. The light plays off the high angles of his face, those dramatic cheekbones, and gives him a haughty air that I know couldn't be further from the truth. He's a sweetheart, always has been from the first moment I met him, taking the black eye I gave him in sparring with nothing short of grace. And right now he's upset and hurt. He tries to hide it but I can see it in the way he gnaws his thin lips in thought and in his bright blue eyes whenever he casts a glance my way.

"Are you ashamed of me?"

It's soft but I hear it loud and clear. He's watching me intently as I turn to meet his gaze, shocked that he could ever think that.

"What? Hell no, Ryder! It's just... I'm worried. What if they don't like you?"

I run my free hand through my hair as I clumsily try to explain. Ryder just breathes a sigh of relief and flashes me a winning smile.

"Don't worry, they'll love me. I'm charming."

"You're British."

"And?" he asks with a laugh, "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No- I don't know, maybe. Hesh'll probably **make** it a problem."

"Well I just won't allow that."

Ryder's still grinning and I'm about five seconds away from losing my shit as I think of all the crap my brother might pull. And if Hesh doesn't like Ryder he'll do his damnedest to make sure Dad doesn't either and if Dad doesn't like Ryder... _Oh hell, I'm going to be sick._

"You just don't get it. He **hated** the last guy I dated, made his life a living hell. By the time Hesh was finished Matt had dumped me and requested a transfer to Dallas."

At this point I've let go of Ryder's hand and flopped down onto some planter, head in my hands as I try not to panic. Gunfire and Feds I can handle just fine but all this relationship crap? I'm out of my element and that scares the shit out of me. Life would be so much easier if everything could just be solved with bullets. _Hit this target and all goes well when bringing your boyfriend home to meet the family, miss and your relationship goes down in flames!_ Yeah, **that** I could handle. Ryder takes a seat next to me, placing his hand on the small of my back to rub soothing circles as he tries to calm me down.

"It's very important to you that they like me, isn't it?"

I just nod before sitting up to look him in the eye.

"Besides you, my family's the only thing I have left in the world that matters."

"Then I'll just have to get it right, won't I? What if we take them on one at a time? Maybe start with Hesh and work our way up to your dad?"

"That... That could work."

"He's on the same schedule as you, yeah? Well then, when you two get back why don't we double with your brother? Give him a chance to get to know me."

"That could work. He won't mess with you because he won't want me to mess with Emily."

"**Or** we could just have a nice evening out getting to know each other."

He backtracks quickly after seeing the look I give him.

"Then again, mutually assured destruction should do just fine."

I laugh before hopping up and giving Ryder a quick peck on the lips.

"It's a date!"


	4. Ch 3 - Brave New World

**A/N: As before, I don't own COD: Ghosts or its characters etc. I do however claim responsibility for Charlie's snark and awkwardness, along with Ryder.**

"You want to what?" Hesh asks as we look for a place to bunk down for the night.

"Double. You know, like a double date?" I say as I follow my brother into the alcove we'll be calling home for the night and dump my gear, "Come on! You and Emily, me and my date. It'll be fun!"

"Who is he?" Hesh asks while I sit down and he drops his gear on the floor.

"Nobody you know," I say, trying to shrug nonchalantly.

Riley plops down beside me and sticks his snout underneath my hand so he can pop it up and place his head in my lap.

"Same guy you spent last Saturday with?"

"Yup."

I ignore Hesh as he takes a seat across from me and decide to focus my attention on scratching Riley behind his ears. Hesh sighs.

"How long?"

_Damn it._ He's using that know-it-all tone all older siblings seem to possess and when I glance at him he's wearing the matching look. I'd rather **not** tell him how long Ryder and I've been together but I know that's not going to be an option. Instead I guess I'll just drag it out a bit. Maybe if I'm lucky he'll drop it.

"How long what?" I ask innocently as I continue to run my fingers through Riley's fur.

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"Six months next week," I reply breezily.

Hesh's eyes widen slightly in surprise and I have to suppress a snicker at his reaction, instead I just smirk.

"**Six months? **Six months and he's just **now **deciding he wants to meet your family?"

"Oh no, Ryder's wanted to meet you and Dad for a few months now. **I'm** the one that didn't want him meeting you."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yes, you are."

My brother pulls a face at that but doesn't do much else about it. We both pull out our MREs and swap the crap we aren't interested in.

"So what's he do?" Hesh asks as he shovels in a spoonful of chili mac.

I just shrug while I chew my cheese tortellini.

"I'm not really sure. He's military, like us. Well not **quite** like us. I think he's administrative or something. He travels a lot. Runs orders between the command posts and different bases I guess. He's at Dad's a lot."

"You're dating an **errand boy**, Charlie?!"

"And you're dating a telemarketer. What's your point?"

Hesh sighs and just shakes his head.

"Never mind," he says as we clean up our mess, "I'll take first watch."

"Fine," I say, getting comfortable against my pack and laying there quietly for a few minutes, "But seriously, are you going to do it or not? Ryder really wants to meet you."

Hesh just chuckles and grins, shaking his head at me.

"Fine. I'll talk to Emily when we get back. Now go to sleep."

"Night Hesh."

"Night Charlie."

Riley's curled against me, keeping me comfortably warm, and I drift off almost as soon as I close my eyes.

_What the hell?!_ Bolting upright, hand wrapped tightly around my favorite blade, I wake up when something hits me. My eyes quickly find my brother, his hands raised defensively.

"Easy Char. It's just me. I was just playing fetch with Riley."

_Oh, oops._ I relax quickly and sheathe my blade before finding the tennis ball that hit me and tossing it back to my brother. A groan slips from my lips as I stretch out my back and blink the sleep from my eyes as I watch the sunlight filter in to us. _Wait a second. Sunlight?_

"Damn it David!"

I am so sick of him pulling crap like this; thinking he needs to baby me or that he automatically knows best because he's my big brother. One of these days it's going to come back to bite us in the ass. At least this time he has the decency to look sheepish when I scowl at him.

"Sorry I didn't wake you. Thought you could use the sleep."

"You need sleep too jackass. Or did you forget?"

Hesh opens his mouth to say something but Riley's tensed, ears perked to something we both missed while we were bickering. He growls.

"Quiet boy. Listen."

We're both silent and this time we hear a muffled thump.

"Riley's got something."

"Grab your gear," Hesh says quietly as he gathers his own.

We're both up and ready to go in a matter of seconds. Hesh takes point. The first thing we do is check the hallway outside our alcove. Once that's secure my brother's on his comms, keeping his voice quiet as we continue to press forward.

"Team Two, are you near our position?"

"Negative. We're outside. You boys got something?"

Their response has us both shooting each other a wary glance that says 'Be careful' as we press on.

"Riley does. We're checkin' it now."

"Roger. We'll secure the exit. Two-one out."

We continue down the hall, no sounds except for Riley's light panting and the quiet shuffle of our feet. Hesh posts up on the far side of a hole in the wall. Must've reached what's left of the old theater because the hole's covered with what appears to be an old projection screen. Hesh slices through it easily enough.

"Through here."

"I've got low, you take high."

Hesh just nods and holds the screen aside for me. I head inside, my brother following behind me, and quickly scan the room, ready to fire if I need to. I don't.

"Lower level's clear."

"I'm gonna check up top. Cover me."

Hesh doesn't wait for me to respond, doesn't need me to. My brother knows I've got his back. It's been like that since we were kids, just camping in the woods. There's a pile of debris in the middle of the room that Hesh uses as a stairway to the top half of the auditorium. Riley tries to follow him up until I call him to heel at my side. Hesh works his way along the edge, checking the rows of seats as he goes.

"All clear. Come on up."

Riley doesn't need to be told twice; he takes off like a shot at the sound of Hesh's voice and quickly scurries up the mountain of debris. Make short work of it myself and soon enough the three of us are standing on what's left of the balcony. Hesh nods his head in the direction he wants us to go and Riley and I fall in behind him. There's water running down from a hole in the ceiling and while I take care to skirt around it Riley just bolts straight through. _Great. As if you don't stink bad enough already. Oh well, I don't exactly smell like roses either. _We start up the stairs toward the exit and hear an even louder thump.

"That's close," Hesh says softly before leading us out the exit and into the hall.

He posts up at the wall on our end so he can watch the hall while he motions for me to pass in front of him.

"Take the door to the right," Hesh orders quietly and I nod as I head for it and crouch down.

There's rustling in the next room, I can hear it, along with some lighter thumps against the musty old floor. I take a breath to steady myself and creep through the open door, careful not to nudge it as I enter the lobby. I swing quickly towards the noise and relax as I stand up.

"It's just a couple of deer!"

They startle at the sound of my voice and take off running. Riley bursts through the door and nearly bowls me over as he goes chasing after them, nipping at their heels.

"Riley!" I call sharply.

He lets them go and comes trotting back to my side just as Hesh walks into the lobby shaking with laughter.

"Guess Riley was getting hungry. You don't want to eat anything out here, boy. Let's head back and get you some real food."

Before either of us can say anything else our comms cut in.

"Six-one, sitrep?"

"Just some local wildlife. We're good."

"Check. We're moving up to RP 'Silver', copy?"

"Yeah, we'll join you. Meet us at the Wall. We're on our way out."

The smile's faded from his face and his tone's tired, and not just from lack of sleep. I've only ever heard him down like this when something real bad's happened, like when Team Three was ambushed by Feds a couple months ago and wiped out. Something's wrong. I barely hear Two-one acknowledge Hesh's last message because I'm more concerned about the dramatic shift in my brother's emotions.

"What?" I ask and Hesh just stares at me blankly for a moment, "Something happened, what's wrong?"

Hesh sighs, we walk through the lobby and out the doors. He's clearing the ledges surrounding the quad while I scan it when he finally speaks.

"Found out this morning that Dallas got overrun last night. I meant to tell you when you woke up but we had those damn deer to worry about... I nearly forgot about it until I mentioned the Wall."

_Son of a bitch._ I try ignore the sudden tightness in my throat and clear it in an attempt to ease some of the tension there.

"Any survivors?" I ask, my voice suddenly irritatingly faint as I pointedly avoid meeting my brother's gaze.

"No."

I just nod as I chew on my lip, not quite trusting my voice not to fail me right now, and follow Riley up the stairs toward the Wall.

"Did you know anyone there?"

"Just -ahem-" I clear my throat again to try and keep my emotions in check before just powering through it, "Just Matt, my ex."

"Shit," I turn back to see Hesh holding his cap and running a hand through his buzzed hair; when he meets my eyes the pity in his gaze is nearly overwhelming, "I'm sorry Char."

"Don't be. I'm fine Hesh. He was just an ex. We hadn't talked since he left, so I'm fine."

"Charlie-"

"I said I'm fine, Hesh!"

My brother's a bit taken aback when I snap at him but he doesn't say anything else. We reach Silver and Hesh goes off to talk to Two-one while Riley thunders over the cars to my left. The sudden stinging in my eyes prompts me to turn away from everyone and just watch Riley chase birds. _Why am I even getting so worked up? He dumped me almost a year ago. I haven't heard anything from him since then **and** I'm with Ryder now. Matt's gone, and he was for a long time before today. He was a good man, but he's gone. And crying isn't going to change that. _Satisfied that I'm done getting worked up over Dallas I get ready to go over and join my brother when Riley hops up and catches a bird in his jaws, so I rush over to him instead.

"Damn it Riley! No! Drop it. Drop it!"

Riley whines but begrudgingly does as he's told. He hops down to my side as Hesh comes walking over.

"We're taking the left side and then regrouping at the gas station. You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

Hesh nods and we cross the ravine just as a tremor hits that has me swearing and scrabbling to safety on the other side while Riley whimpers behind me. Hesh just snickers at me before calming Riley and joining me on solid ground. You'd think after ODIN that bastard would be a little more understanding but no, he still looks at every frickin' tremor as an opportunity to tease his baby sister. He better hope we never get a mission that sends us to the ocean, because if we do I've got a lifetime of poking fun to pay back. Riley pulls me from my musings of sibling revenge with a low growl. _Sounds like we've got company._ Hesh calms him again before telling him to go search. Riley leaves us, ducking under some rusting metal to work his way to the patio we're trying to clear. Hesh and I head into the derelict building, careful not to let the doors creak or slam. A low staticky garble of voices reaches my ears. Radio chatter.

"You hear that, Hesh? Someone's out there," I say, positioning myself so I'll have a clear field of view while, hopefully, being hard to see.

"Wait for Riley. If he attacks a target, shoot to kill," Hesh instructs before shifting over to the left side of the room.

A man walks into my periphery. About my height, black cammies, kevlar helmet, face plate, and a ring of stars on his shoulder. _Damn_ _Fed. _I've got my rifle trained on the bastard but I don't shoot. He's patrolling the patio and from here, for now at least, it looks like he's alone but I'm not stupid enough to take the first shot and find out the hard way he isn't. Instead I'll wait for Riley to flush them out. _Right_ _on cue. _Riley comes charging out of nowhere and leaps for the guys throat. Pretty sure I hear a squeak of terror from him before Riley's jaws clamp down. Not that I can really blame the guy, all things considered; if I had a 76 pound fur ball aiming for my jugular I'd probably freak out a bit too. Riley wrestles the guy to the ground to tear out his throat but not before all of his friends have a chance to see the attack. They come pouring out of the woodwork and open fire. Hesh and I are more than happy to return it. He makes quick work of the only other Fed on the patio while I take care of a couple posted at windows in the building below us before moving to the patio wall. We make quick work of the rest of them and I even manage to score a half decent rifle out of the fight. Hesh looks over a couple of the fallen Feds and tells me what I already know.

"More Fed recon. Shit, that's what? Five this month, already?"

"Sounds about right."

Hesh swears some more before radioing Two-one.

"Two-one, we just engaged another Federation recon team. Meet us at 'Overwatch', we need to regroup **now**."

"Check. We're on our way."

We head out the back and I let Hesh kick loose some bricks to make an opening. We hop down to find Two-one already waiting by the abandoned ambulance. I can hear distant shouting and we all shift to look in that direction. My stomach churns at what I see. Civvies. Bound and lined up, execution style, while one Federation asshole parades in front of them his gun at the ready. Riley growls but Hesh holds him steady.

"Holy shit."

I've got my sights trained on the asshat with the gun but he pulls his trigger before I can pull mine and drops a civilian. He joins them not two seconds later. Then I'm hopping down and running for the gas station while all hell starts to break loose around me.

"What did you expect?!" I hear Hesh shouting behind me, "They were executing civilians! Now come on! Move in, move in! Riley, go!"

I can hear them dropping down behind me but I'm more focused on the Fed that's just come running out of the gas station toward me. I'm on him before he can even raise his rifle, stabbing the bastard over and over until I let him fall limp to the grass. Then I move into the gas station and post up, taking a couple Feds down with my rifle while I wait for my brother to catch up. We head out and help Two-one finish off the rest of them before heading over to check for survivors. We get to the civvies and they look like hell, but they aren't all dead. A few need medical attention and a couple look like they're in the beginning stages of shock but there **are** survivors. A couple even look like they escaped the ordeal with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises. I start to smile and Hesh and I get ready to help Two-one render aide but our comms go off, panic on the other end.

"All available units, we have a Federation contact at the wall! We need back up, now! Repeat, we are under attack!"

"We've got you lima charlie! Pop smoke, we're headed to you!"

"Roger that! Popping green smoke in our position!"

Two-one follows the exchange with a lost look on his face before turning back toward the civilians with a torn expression.

"Team Two, you guys take care of these civilians. Get them somewhere safe. Hesh and I can handle this."

"You sure?"

"We're sure," Hesh says, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

Two-one nods and Hesh and I take off at a run toward the green smoke on the other side of the drainage pipe.

"You really sure that was the best idea Charlie?" Hesh asks once we're out of earshot.

"Yeah I do. You saw the look on his face, they would've just been distracted. Besides, we didn't save those civvies just to leave them behind at the first sign of trouble."

"Guess you're right. Holy shit! Find cover!"

Hesh pulls me into cover behind an abandoned car, like I wouldn't've gone on my own. Irritated, I pop up and pick off a few gunmen from the overpass to release some frustration. Still not satisfied I take out the gunners on the helo as it passes by. _Well, I feel a little better now._ I move forward, pausing momentarily behind a dumpster before taking off and sliding into cover behind another decrepit car. Hesh is somewhere behind me, shouting something at someone but I can't quite make out what over the din of gunfire. I take down the couple of Feds near me before reloading and standing up. I work my way toward the smoke, firing on the Feds that are in line with me as they try to fall back to the crates. One pops up from behind the crate in front of me and I'm quick to bury a blade in his throat before unloading a few bullets into his neighbor. The sudden silence is eerie. Footfalls behind me and I look over to see my brother come walking up.

"Nice work Char."

"You too Hesh."

A PFC jogs towards us, a serious look on his face.

"More birds inbound!"

I recognize his voice from our comms and probably would've said something if I weren't so busy rolling my eyes at Hesh's suddenly serious demeanor. _Oh please, brother, this isn't anything we can't handle._

"Charlie! Grab a launcher and take care of the birds, we'll cover you!"

I debate whether or not it's worth it to do something snarky but promptly decide against it after remembering Dad's last lecture about my attitude. _So no__t worth it. _I grab a nearby MAAWS and ready myself as Riley starts going psycho.

"Easy boy. Easy."

I hear the whumpa whumpa of the hind's blades before we see it. Catch enough of a glimpse before it clears the overpass that I know where to line up my shot, so I do. Pull the trigger and it goes down, a triumphant smirk on my face. That's quickly wiped away by the second hind that comes buzzing over after it. _Crap_. I get a shot lined up and take it but it's not solid enough that they can't shake it. It **is**, however, solid enough for them to determine my position and return fire.

"Shit!"

I duck for cover behind one of the guard shacks, fingers shaking as I try to ignore the buzzing of rapid gunfire to my left and reload.

"CHARLIE!"

"I'm OK!" I shout back, poking my head out to try and find the damn hind once the gunfire dies down; the whir of the hind's artillery warming up again has me pulling my head back just before they open fire though, "Holy Mother of Hell! Hesh! I can't break from cover long enough to see where I need to aim! Tell me when and where!"

"On your six, high! In 3, 2, 1, NOW!"

I swing around and step out of cover as the gunfire stops and I line my shot up quickly. They're reloading but I'm already pulling the trigger... and it's a beautiful shot. Down they go. Don't even have time to celebrate though because the PFC's calling out again.

"Fed reinforcements on the bridge!"

_Oh for the love of all that is holy!_ Everyone falls to cover and starts to fire at the assholes at the center of the bridge. I've still got a rocket left, so I figure what the hell. Line my shot up and squeeze the trigger. Everyone stops firing as the rocket hits the bridge and explodes. Some watch the explosion with slack jawed expressions, others stare at me dumbfounded; I just laugh at the morbid sight of a slain Fed sent cartwheeling through the air by the force of the blast. _And **that** is how it's done boys. _Hesh is shaking his head but I can see the corner of his lip twitch as he tries to fight back a smile.

"Not bad Char. Corporal Davis, you're on transport."

"Roger. Commandeering for transport."

I side step Davis as he goes running by and set the MAAWS back down with the others. Davis waves us over to an idling MATV.

"Charlie, you're on security in the back."

"Sure thing, Hesh."

I hop up before Hesh even gets near our ride. Next thing I know Riley's whining and pawing at my heels.

"No Riley. How many times do I have to tell you? You can't ride back here boy."

I give Riley a gentle nudge down but he's back up a second later and I sigh.

"Hesh, call Riley. He's trying to ride with me again."

"Riley! Come on boy."

Hesh whistles and Riley drops back down, giving a pitiful whine before running for the cab.

"Shit! Riley!"

Hesh is cussing and groaning as Riley scrambles over his lap so he can pop his head out the hatch door. He barks happily when he sees me and I have to chuckle as I reach forward and give him a quick scratch of the ears while Hesh pulls his door shut.

"So much for you being my dog, traitor," my brother gripes as the alarm goes off and the door of the Wall starts to open.

"Oh don't feel too bad, he only likes me because I feed him table scraps."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, but only sometimes."

Hesh doesn't say anything else. _I bet he's tired._ _Wouldn't be completely surprised if he fell asleep on the way back._ We take off through the Wall, heading for Fort Santa Monica. It's not a bad drive. I can tell when we get closer to the ocean, the wind whipping past my face has a slight salty tinge to it and the breeze is cooler now. Pretty sure Hesh is asleep. He hasn't said anything since-

"Hey, can I ask you a question Char?"

_Guess not._

"Sure. What's up?"

"Do you think you would've laughed about blowing up those Feds if I hadn't told you about Dallas?"

"Of course, didn't you see that one go cartwheeling through the air? You know I have a macabre sense of humor. Why? Did that bother you?"

"No. I thought it was hilarious. It's just... you usually don't seem to enjoy it **that** much."

"Well, I haven't snapped if that's what you're trying to ask. It's not so much that I mind killing people if I have to, it's just that I'd rather not dwell on it if I don't have to. Y'know? And besides, usually I don't have explosives."

"Oh right," Hesh says, his heavy mood lifting suddenly, "I forgot you're a fucking pyro."

I smile brightly at my brother's teasing, not that he can see, as we pull onto the streets surrounding the Fort. There's civvies wanting access and MPs trying to get them to return home. Soldiers bustling to different stations, calls for reinforcements to the Wall. Looks like there might've been an alert while we were out. A few soldiers recognize Riley and shout greetings to which Riley merrily yaps in return.

"Well, this is your stop. Boys, it's been pleasure. Thank you for all your help today."

"Yup. No problem," I say swiftly before hopping down and heading for Dad's.

Hesh and Riley catch up quickly and we enter the garage. Hesh tells Riley to stay and leaves him a ball to play with before heading for the stairs.

"C'mon, let's go find the old man."

He pauses to make sure I'm behind him before starting up the stairs.

"You know, I've always wondered, does it bother you when the other soldiers assume you're a guy or call you one even when they know you aren't?"

"No," I reply with a shake of my head, "Not really. I'd rather have them think of me as just one of the guys than some lost little girl they need to look out for and protect. I mean, I get enough of that from you as it is."

"Seriously?" Hesh asks, stopping at the top of the stairs to look at me.

"Yup, you baby me," I say, brushing past him and walking over to our father, "Hey Dad."

Dad turns toward us and even though he's careful to keep his face controlled I can still see it flush with relief at the sight of us.

"I heard about the attack. You two OK?"

"Always," says Hesh as he walks up to use me as an armrest.

I cross my arms and growl low enough that Dad can't hear. Hesh sure can though, but all he does is frickin' smirk. Dad smiles slightly as he looks at us.

"Walk with me."

He doesn't wait for us to respond, just turns toward the stairs for the third level knowing we'll follow. Soon as his back is turned I drive my elbow into Hesh's gut hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

"I told you to stop doing that jerk."

Hesh just groans in response, something I'm sure was an expletive directed at me, and tries to catch his breath. I wait for him to stand up straight before going to catch up with Dad.

"Hey Dad? They're executing civilians," I say softly as I catch up to him; he sighs.

"I know. Their recon teams round up scavengers, drifters, hoping to find a way into the city. It's how they took Dallas practically overnight."

"We saved a few today but if that's what the Feds are doing it's not going to make a damn bit of difference. We've got to do something!"

Hesh lays a hand on my shoulder, his silent way of telling me to calm down.

"I know," Dad says.

"So, how can we help?" asks Hesh as we reach the third floor.

Dad doesn't answer immediately, instead he paces to the center of the room seemingly questioning his decision. But I know Dad. Whatever it is, if he's already made up his mind he won't be changing it.

"Dad?" calls Hesh and that seems to snap him out of it.

"Listen, you kids... you're the only thing I've got left in this world."

Hesh seems almost alarmed by the sudden show of emotion from our father but it just serves to make me curious. _What's got him all worked up?_

"Dad listen..." Hesh says, trying to calm him I guess.

"But you're also the only ones I can trust," he says, cutting Hesh off.

"Hey, look, whatever it is, Charlie and I, we're ready."

He says it to reassure Dad but Dad doesn't need it. He's calm, determined. He's not questioning his decision now.

"You two are going to No Man's Land."

Dad heads for the balcony while Hesh and I just stare at each other in shock before following him and reacting about the same time.

"Wait, for real?"

"We've been on the defensive for far too long. So I'm sending you outside the wall. You'll link up with a recon team, gather any intel you can on the enemy and get your asses back here."

Dad's leaning against the balcony now, overlooking the army encamped beach in front of him. He may be sure of his decision but that doesn't mean he's looking forward to sending us to No Man's Land. I can tell by the obvious tension in his shoulders he's worried. _This must be really important to him._

"So where in No Man's Land are we going?" Hesh asks.

"Somewhere you know better than anyone," Dad says, turning to face us, "You're going home. Your ride leaves in an hour. Best shake a leg."

Hesh looks at me utter shock and mild apprehension plain on his face before he gathers himself.

"Looks like we better get packed then. Sorry about your date night Char. Guess it'll just have to wait a few more days."


	5. Ch 4 - No Man's Land

**A/N: As before, I don't own COD: Ghosts or its characters etc. I do however claim responsibility for Charlie's snark and awkwardness, along with Ryder. Sorry it's a little late I've got some stuff going on in my family right now and had a hard time getting motivated enough to finish this chapter so I could post it. As always reviews are welcome.**

"Is it just me or does this whole thing seem like another one of Dad's tests?" asks Hesh as he wipes some sweat from his brow.

"You mean like that time we went camping and he trashed all our supplies?"

"And told us to figure out what to do without them? Yeah, exactly."

"Yeah, feels like that. Except muggier."

Hesh laughs at that even though I know he's just as uncomfortable as I am. No one **ever **operates in No Man's Land, yet here we are heading for what's left of our childhood home. _Probably not much more than a gaping hole in the ground nowadays_. Add to that that we'd had the shit luck to get stuck in a freak June rainstorm a couple hours ago and that it was still humid as hell and it's no wonder Hesh is wondering what the hell Dad was thinking sending us out here. Never mind that there are frickin' Feds **everywhere**. _Speaking of._

"Hold up Hesh. I think I heard something."

We both drop into the grass, Riley following our example and crouching between us. Hesh grabs the ruggedized tablet from my pack and starts to mess with it.

"Is it on?"

"Of course it is, that's why the screen's full of snow. Now give it!" I tease before reaching over and yanking it from his hands, "OK, looks like we're good. Beginning sector scan. Contact. Enemy patrol approaching from the west."

"Do **not** engage. Let them get closer."

Riley's getting antsy but he stays put. Just keeps fidgeting and twisting his head back and forth looking from me to the enemy, me to the enemy. My hands are a bit full so Hesh takes it upon himself to calm our anxious pup, stroking his fur gently to get him to settle while we wait for our enemies to get closer. They get within 20 yards and Riley looks to Hesh, almost like he's asking for permission to get to work. Hesh nods.

"Get ready."

I shift Riley's focus to the guard and wait for Hesh's signal.

"Do it."

I let Riley loose and he sprints toward the group, sending them into a panic. He's on the guard and ripping out his throat before any of them can get a shot off.

"Char, take right!"

Trade the tablet for my rifle that's been laying in grass beside me and use it to bring down the scientist on the right as he turns tail and tries to flee. _Like you're going to get far in that pain in the ass suit._

"Clear."

"Clear. That's the third group in twenty miles. Keep your eyes peeled, could be more of them."

I just nod as we both haul ourselves to our feet, pausing only to grab the tablet and stick it back in my pack. Hesh takes lead, Riley falls in beside me and we start down a small incline toward a short tunnel in the cliff ahead. He stops part way through and raises his hand to stop me and Riley.

"Standby."

I stand with my back to the stone and alternate between watching him and watching behind us as he cautiously creeps forward, gun at the ready and head on a swivel. He relaxes and waves us forward, smirking at the look on my face when a tremor hits. Rather than letting him bait me I give Riley a reassuring pat as he lets out a whimper.

"Welcome home sis.. or what's left of it, anyway," Hesh says as we join him, "Come on, let's keep moving."

It's weird. Everything looks so familiar yet foreign that I'm having trouble processing what I'm seeing. _That's our pool. The one we used to use during birthday parties and barbecues except it's cracked and split, weeds and grass growing in through the gaps. That statue should have a twin, not be dingy and alone. That swing set doesn't belong in our yard, it belongs next door in the Taylors' yard. That car shouldn't be in the pool. Why the **hell** is there a car in the pool? _A helicopter buzzing by over head snaps me out of it and I jump. It's slight but it's enough that Hesh notices.

"You doing OK Char?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just weird seeing everything like this, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know," Hesh says, pausing to take a deep breath to settle himself before using his comms, "Stalker-Six, this is Viking Actual, we are en route to target location, how copy?"

"Solid copy, Viking. Be advised, recent reports of lots of enemy movement in that area. We're on a schedule here, so get that intel and get out, fast."

"Roger that."

With that we press forward into our childhood home, Hesh taking point and me covering his six. We're making great time although I can't exactly say I'm thrilled about this recon team we're meeting up with. From what little we've talked to them on comms the man in charge sounds like a hard ass. And we're going in blind. I've never even **heard** of a Captain Merrick let alone seen him around base. Hesh pulls my mind from that though when he turns around, a neglected and battered shotgun cradled in his hands and a childish grin on his face.

"Check it out Char! My first shotgun!" he says before cradling it to his chest like an infant, "I never thought I'd see you again!"

I shake my head as he gives it a kiss before going to place it in the scabbard on his back; my eye catches sight of a dusty, old, mahogany box teetering dangerously on the edge of what's left of the second floor. _Holy crap. That can't be..._

"Hesh give me a boost."

"What? Why?"

I point to the box and Hesh looks at it before looking back to me.

"You've got to be kidding me. Charlie, you can't bring that box with you! It won't fit in your pack and we don't need the weight."

"I don't want the entire box, I just want to see if something's in it. Please Hesh? You already got your crappy old shotgun, I just want to grab something too."

Hesh stares at me for a moment, probably trying to decide if this little detour is worth not having to listen to me rag on him. Apparently he decides it is because he huffs and locks his hands together.

"Fine, just make it quick."

With my brother's help I'm easily able to reach the box and bring it down. I set it down and blow the dust off, making my brother cough as I open it and begin to rummage through it.

"Thanks a lot Charlie! What was so important you just **had** to look inside this anyway?"

"These," I say handing him a couple photos, one of Mom and Dad and one of the four of us, before continuing to look through it, "And this."

I turn to show Hesh the medallion I've pulled from Mom's jewelry box but he's busy staring at the photos with a sad smile.

"How'd you know these were in there Char?"

"I put 'em there. Dad always told us to be prepared in case there was ever an emergency. So I put those in Mom's jewelry box because I never thought I'd leave it behind."

Hesh just continues to smile that sad little smile as he hands me the photos; I hand him her necklace. I slip them into a waterproof pouch and stick it back in my pack while he studies the medallion.

"This is her St. Michael medallion."

"Yup," I say swinging my pack back on.

"I don't think I remember ever seeing her without this," he says before stepping forward to do the necklace up around my neck, "There. It looks good Char... Now let's get out of here. This place is depressing the hell out of me."

We walk to what used to be the front door to hop down but we freeze in our tracks when we see what's become of our old neighborhood. _I was right. It is a frickin' hole in the ground._

"Holy shit," Hesh says, looking mildly horrified as he drops down.

"At least the flag's still standing," I say after tucking the medallion into my shirt and dropping down beside him, "Dad'll like that."

"Yeah, I guess. Come on Char, I just want to get this over with and go home."

Hesh takes off, me following behind him with Riley at my side. Riley and I both whimper a little as a small tremor shakes the ground.

"Easy Char, it's just a little tremor."

"You always say that!" I hiss quietly, "It **doesn't** help!"

Hesh goes to say something but a bigger tremor comes along and knocks us both to our knees.

"Oh God, we're going to die!"

"Charlie! I've got you, just relax!"

"Easy for you to say!"

Soon as it's over I'm up and Riley and I bolt past Hesh stopping only once we're safely on solid, not going to crumble away with the next tremor, ground. Hesh catches up with us and just shakes his head. A couple of voices chatting in Spanish drift over to us.

"Sounds like we've got company. Why don't you-"

"Sync up with Riley? I'm on it."

I sync up and use the tablet to guide Riley's movements. He takes out a scientist and distracts a guard so Hesh can take him down. We all move up. Riley creeps in through a garage while Hesh and I hang back.

"Let's see... We've got two tangos: another scientist and a guard. Shit! Hesh, we've got a sniper on the balcony, Riley's twelve o'clock."

"I've got him," Hesh takes his gun and disappears onto the roof; a couple seconds later I hear a shot and a dull thud followed by his voice over our comms, "Tango down."

As soon as I hear that I let Riley go, siccing him on the guard first and then the scientist.

"All clear Hesh. Good boy."

"Are you talking to me or the dog?"

"Riley, duh. Why the hell would I say that to you?"

With the hostiles down Hesh and I join Riley in the courtyard and the three of us head for next building. More Spanish. Hesh and I stack up on either side of the doorway. Once we're in place he uses his elbow to crack the glass of the window behind him.

"Riley, search."

Riley eagerly busts through the window and we know he's found them a few seconds later by the cacophony of panicked voices getting louder as they come closer to the doorway. The doors burst open and out comes a gaggle of alarmed Feds. First one I take down is the jackass shooting blindly behind him although, I note with amusement, he manages to shoot one of his comrades in the face first. I pick off a couple more, Riley tears out some throats and Hesh breaks some guy's neck before shoving him through the broken window.

"Nicely done."

Hesh shakes his head with a chuckle.

"All clear, let's move up."

We start through the house and I spot an L115 in decent condition and stop to pick it up, giddy as a school girl at the prospect of having a sniper rifle on this mission. Hesh continues through only to be greeted by a smattering of bullets and buckshot.

"SHIT! Contact front!"

I strap my new rifle to my back and come running to my brother. Riley takes out one Fed while I put a bullet in the head of another. We press forward. Hesh and Riley continue on down the path while I post up on a ledge to provide some cover fire. There's a massive pile of wreckage ahead and they've got guards watching over it. While Hesh and Riley clear out the Feds below me, I pick off the Feds standing guard so that we can move forward unimpeded. We split up once we move forward, Hesh and Riley heading through the nooks and crannies to the left to take down Feds while I scramble up the heap of - _Oh, it's radioactive? Fantastic._ - dirt to the right in order to get a better look at the wreckage. I get as close as I dare. Given the size and overall design of the wreckage I'd have to say we're looking at one giant ass downed satellite. Catch sight of an American flag painted on the shell of the wreckage. _Huh, that's weird._ _You'd think if we'd lost a satellite recently we would've heard about it. Unless this isn't recent. I'd grown up hearing about this in school after the war started but I never thought I'd actually see it. This has to be-_

"ODIN."

Still in shock I move forward and bring down a couple of Feds so I can regroup with my brother and dog.

"Did you find anything?"

"No, but Hesh, I think that's ODIN. Or what's left of it anyway."

"Shit. Stalker-Six, we got something here. Looks like they were digging though some wreckage."

"What do you mean? What kind of wreckage?"

"Not sure but they were guarding it. We cleared 'em out to get a closer look though and Viking 2 thinks it's ODIN."

"Shit. Roger. Viking Actual, we're getting reports of large enemy movements just ahead of you. If you hurry you should be able to intercept them."

"Roger that. You heard the man Char, let's move!"

We take off through the guard house and spot a hostile halfway between us and the next one. I fire and take him down but by the sounds of things he's got friends. When we reach the next guard house we split up; Hesh takes outside while I clear inside. See a couple of Feds coming up around the side so I vault over the railing and bury a knife in one of them, staying down so Hesh can fire on the other.

"Nice kill. Come on, this way."

The slope we reach is steep and slick enough from the recent rain that we just end up sliding down it. There's tracks at the bottom and I point them out to Hesh.

"They're fresh. Looks like they went this way."

We follow the tracks down the old highway to a tunnel lined with cars.

"Incoming. Shift right."

I follow my brother's lead and hop over the trunk of a rusted out sedan. We duck down and creep along, hidden between the cars and tunnel wall as the convoy drives past.

"Easy, easy... Let them pass. OK, we're clear."

We hurry to the end of the tunnel but I grab Hesh and pull him back before he steps out.

"Hang on. Straggler on the right, two o'clock. I've got him."

I sic Riley on him and it's over as fast as it started.

"Nice call Char. Good boy Riley. Alright, move up. Stay low and follow me."

We move up into the rusted out hull of a ship. Hesh takes a knee in the shadows. Riley drops down to his belly and so do I. I crawl forward to peek over the edge and see a hoard of Federation soldiers.

"Holy shit. Hesh, you've got to see this."

"Jackpot. Stalker, we're seeing a massive enemy camp ahead. Moving to investigate."

"There's no way we can move through this mess undetected. We'll have to use Riley, I'll sync up and guide him in."

"Move slow and keep Riley hidden in the grass. I'll cover him from here until you can find some place for him to hunker down and then we'll move to higher ground, see if we can't get a better view of this mess."

I nod and let Riley hop down. He ducks into the grass and creeps along, passing through on old concrete pipe before attacking the hostile at the end of it. I take a look around. It's enclosed, bus on one end, culvert at the other. It's perfect, so I have Riley hide in the grass and Hesh and I take off. We circle back and find a way up the cliff over looking the encampment. Once we've got a bird's eye view we settle in and I guide Riley through, taking down Feds as I need to and keeping Riley as hidden as I can.

"Alright, let's see if we can find out what these bastards are up to. Head for that trailer."

I follow my brother's order and guide Riley over to the trailer. _Holy shit. _I get a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I zoom in on the guy standing at the end of it, hands resting on his hips. He's a behemoth of a man with a gnarly mess of a scar slicing through his left brow and down to his jawline. Huge arms, not exactly what I'd call taut but you'd have to be blind to miss the thick cords of muscle there. He's burly, at **least** a foot taller than me and I can't shake this sickening feeling that he's someone I'd regret meeting, never mind crossing. _I'd rather get out of here than find out if I'm right on that one._ One of the Feds comes over and says something to him. _He's in charge._

"Bring him to me."

_Shit_. He's American, or at least he used to be. I can tell by the slight, slow drawl when he speaks; it's faint but it's there. He's from somewhere in the south. Shift my focus as they bring out a prisoner.

"Hesh! HESH!"

"What the hell Charlie?!"

"Look!" I say as shift the tablet toward him so he can watch the video feed as well, "Look at his mask! He's a fucking **Ghost** Hesh!"

They force the Ghost to his knees and the colossus turns toward him.

"Well, well, well. So nice of you to join us."

"Rorke?"

_So the monster has a name_. The Ghost sounds shocked, bordering on horrified. Rorke smirks at that.

"What's the matter? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

_Wait a second, they know each other._ Rorke's teasing him and that must snap the Ghost out of it because his posture shifts. He's not cowering in shock, he's rigid in defiance. When he speaks, his tone reflects the shift.

"I'm not telling you a **damn** thing!"

_Attaboy!_ Rorke pulls a pistol and levels it at the Ghost's head. _Shit! Oh shit! _I dig my fingers into my brother's arm in alarm. He grunts in pain but doesn't say anything, he's just as horrified as I am. We've finally seen one of our childhood heroes and now we're going to have to sit idly by and watch as some bastard shoots him in the face. We can't do a damn thing about it. He's just as likely to be killed if we shoot Rorke as he is if we don't. Not to mention with three against an armored battalion the odds aren't exactly encouraging. Mercy kill's out of the question; I can't kill one of our own and even if Hesh could I know he can't make that shot. And either way we'd be screwed. We fire off a shot we give away our position and get ourselves and Riley killed. So we'll just have to sit here and watch. _Damn it._

"Well," Rorke says, tone mocking as he places the barrel flush against the man's forehead, "that's just too bad then."

He pulls the trigger and click. Nothing. Chamber's empty. Hesh and I let out concerted sighs of relief while the Ghost's shoulders and head slouch as he relaxes momentarily. Rorke chuckles.

"Now, you didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you? Oh no. You and me, we got a lot of catching up to do."

He motions to a couple of his men and they drag the Ghost away, into some shipping container. I follow him until he's out of sight and then shift the camera to Rorke as he turns back to the majority of his men.

"Move everything to Firebase Charlie, including him! Operation Homecoming will proceed on schedule!"

Rorke turns and heads into the shipping container they took the Ghost to.

"Firebase Charlie? Operation Homecoming?" Hesh says.

"Viking, what's your position? You boys better double time it or you're getting left behind."

"Roger that, we're on our way."

Hesh climbs to his feet but I'm stuck staring at the container, trying to pin down this feeling that's been bothering me since we first got eyes on Rorke. _Dread. I'm feeling dread. Well that's comforting._

"Hey Char, come on. We've got to move."

"Yeah, just hang on a sec. I'm marking the rally point for Riley. We'll regroup at the exit."

Hesh pulls me to my feet after I stick the tablet back in my pack.

"You OK sis? You don't look so hot."

"I'm fine. It's just... this guy. Rorke? I've got a bad feeling about him Hesh."

"I can't say I blame you but don't worry about him. Let's just focus on getting out of here and meeting up with Stalker."

I nod and we head towards the exit. We're only there for a couple of seconds when Riley comes bounding toward us, tongue flapping in the wind.

"Good boy Riley! Really good boy!"

"Alright, let's move! Stalker-Six, we're headed to your position. Don't start the party without us!"

We jog away from the exit. Haven't gone more than maybe ten feet when Riley rushes ahead, barking. _**Please** let it be more deer._

"Riley slow down!" I call as Hesh and I pick up the pace.

"What is this dog up to?"

"Hell if I know. Riley! Heel!"

We're running at this point but Riley hasn't stopped. He's heading down the hill in front of us.

"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down, Char!"

_Too late_. The damn hill's still muddy from the rain and my feet slip out from under me, sending me sliding down the slope. I hear Hesh curse behind me before making his way down as well. Riley's finally stopped though. We're in some sort of clearing. _Something's not right._ He's tensed and growling so I move to his side to pat him reassuringly.

"What is it? What's wrong boy?" I say before I see the lithe grey forms starting to emerge from the shadows, "Oh shit."

"What? Oh shit. OK Char, back it up. We'll find another way around. That's it. Nice and easy. Damn it!"

Hesh fires as one of the wolves hops into the clearing and that seems to set them all off. I manage to grab my pistol and get off a couple of shots, putting one down, before I get blindsided. My pistol's knocked from my grasp and the damn thing is on me and snapping at my throat before I can grab it or one of my knives. It's all I can do to keep its snapping jaws away from my jugular.

"Shit! HESH!"

"Hang on Charlie!"

Hesh fires off a few rounds but I'm willing to bet he's surrounded and can't do jack shit for me because this damn thing is still trying to tear my throat out. Then suddenly it's not. There's a flurry of growls and fur as it goes rolling off of me. _Riley! _I hear a whimper and look over to see the wolf advancing on our dog. _Oh no you don't!_ I roll to my pistol and fire a couple of shots. It drops and Riley gets up and walks toward me with a slight limp. Then he's growling again. I look toward my feet and see the rest of the pack emerging from the trees. _We're screwed._ I manage to take out a couple more before my gun runs dry, from the sound of it Hesh's is too. The wolf in the lead advances toward me, teeth bared. I pull out my favorite knife and flip the pistol around, holding it like a club and growling in response. _Bring it on. _

The wolf leaps toward me but before it can get close enough for me to strike a blur in black cammies flies over my head and tackles it to the ground. _What in the hell?_ He rolls to a stop on his knee, pulling his pistol and firing at the pack. He hits a couple and the pack scatters, fleeing back into the trees. _Oh sure, **now** you run. _The man rises from his protective stance in front of me and walks back over to me as I sheathe my weapons. He's not quite a foot taller than me. Stocky. Thick brown eyebrows, hazel eyes. He offers me a hand which I eye warily before accepting and allowing him to pull me to my feet. His companion melts out of the shadows. Lean. Muscular. Maybe a head taller than me. Piercing blue eyes, L115 strapped to his back. Sniper. His eyes scan over me quickly, brow furrowing in confusion as he studies the bandana I'm wearing to cover half my face before relaxing as he looks me in the eye.

"You look lost, half-pint."

_Jackass_. My shoulders go rigid as I turn to glare at the first guy. Can tell from the way his bandana tugs up at the corner that he's smirking at my reaction. My hands curl into fists. _I want to deck him._ Hesh for once has the cooler head and pulls me back before giving me a look to knock it off and stepping in front of me.

"We're not lost. We're looking for you, Captain Merrick."

Hesh casts a glance at me out of the corner of his eye when he says that. _Oh, oops... He's still a jackass._

"Walker. I believe you've got something for me."

_Yeah, a swift boot to go right up your ass._ Hesh nudges me and instead I pull the tablet from my pack and bring up a still of the Ghost we saw before shoving it into Merrick's hands, perfectly content to let Hesh do all the talking. Don't expect that Captain Merrick would take too kindly to the little girl sent on his recon mission.

"Came across some Feds moving a guy to Firebase Charlie. I assume he's one of yours?"

"Yeah, Ajax," he looks at it for a minute before handing the tablet back to me, studying me while I put it back, and then sighing before taking on a commanding tone, "Alright, we don't have a lot of time. You can stick with us but you do **what** I say, **when** I say it. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Hesh says, agreeing immediately.

Merrick looks to me, waiting for me to agree._ I'm not saying shit._ Annoyance colors the half of his face that I can see and he steps toward me.

"I **said** understood, half-pint?"

I want to tell him to go screw himself but instead I settle for another withering glare as I simply nod my head. That surprises him.

"What? Can't you talk, kid?" Merrick asks, not nearly as intense as before.

I look to Hesh and he shakes his head, rolling his eyes in exasperation before speaking for me.

"Charlie's just... shy."

We both wince at how poorly delivered that lie was and Merrick and his buddy don't buy it for a minute. They both shoot us questioning glances but ultimately decide it's a waste of time.

"Whatever. Let's move."

The four of us head through the clearing and up a small hill toward an old gate. The entire way I can feel the sniper's eyes on my back. He's studying me. I don't like it. _Now I know why everyone complains when I do it._ Merrick and the sniper stack up on either side of the gate. I begrudgingly wait by Merrick for Hesh to lift the gate from its hinge. Once he does I'm heading through it while he sets down the gate. Hesh and the others follow close behind and I'm happy for it once I see the massive Federation vessel in the water. We continue down the path. I point out some Fed stragglers to Hesh right about the time the sniper sees them.

"Got some stragglers on the road. Could be trouble."

His voice is huskier than Merrick's. Not quite as deep though. Maybe it's because he doesn't talk much.

"Keegan, post up and keep us covered. You Walker boys are with me."

_So that's the sniper's name._ I pull my L115 as I settle in near Merrick. He scoffs when he sees it.

"Really? That rifle's almost as big as you half-pint."

Hesh settles in along the edge and I decide to ignore Merrick. He takes the hint that I'm done letting him bait me and gets serious.

"Alright. Keegan, kick us off."

Keegan fires a shot and suddenly the road and houses are crawling with Feds.

"Weapons free!"

I take out a Fed on the balcony and drop the two that come to replace him. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Merrick glimpse at me between shots with mild surprise on his face and I just have to smirk. _Tak__e that, Cap_. Pop a couple more Feds and then run to join Hesh as I reload. We move through the first house, only pausing long enough to grab the extra ammo laying by the entrance. Hesh takes care of the Fed by the exit and we move forward. We take cover by a car and while Hesh covers the street, I get the two Feds that try to shoot down at us from the house on our right.

"Move up! Top of the hill, let's go!" Merrick says as he hurries out of the house to our left; three Feds appear at the top of the hill and open fire, forcing him back, "Shit! Keegan, take these guys out!"

"I'm a little busy, Merrick!"

"Go help Keegan," I say soft enough that only my brother can hear, "I've got this."

He nods and hustles off to find Keegan. I turn my attention to the Feds up top and slow my breathing. Take a couple of deep breaths before lining up my first shot. I control my breathing and time my shots to the beat of my pulse. _Beat, fire one. Beat, fire two. Beat, fire three. _All three drop and Merrick looks at me impressed as Hesh and Keegan round the corner.

"Nice work, kid."

I nod my thanks and start up the hill, jogging to keep up with the rest of them. We all hoist ourselves up when we get to where the ground split and dropped all those years ago. Once we're up we keeping running until we see the ruins of San Diego.

"Keegan, take point. Get us headed towards the stadium. Ajax doesn't have long."

Hesh and I exchange a glance before falling in behind Merrick and Keegan and I know we're both wondering the same thing. _What do I have to do to become one of them?_


	6. Ch 5 - Struck Down

**A/N: As before, I don't own COD: Ghosts or its characters etc. I do however claim responsibility for Charlie's snark and awkwardness, along with Ryder. I'd also like to thank FrigidNorthWinds, Haven and a guest reviewer for being the first ones to review this. I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far and I'll try to keep your advice in mind as the story progresses. As always, reviews are welcome.**

We've **finally** made it to the city ruins. No one said a damn thing the entire way down here. Now we're holed up in some ruined garage with a couple of dead Feds cooling downstairs. Since getting here it seems like Merrick's determined to get me to say something; he hasn't shut up once. Keegan's fiddling with a remote sniper and I'm waiting patiently to link up my tablet while Hesh deflects as many of Merrick's questions as he can.

"Seriously kid, do you ever talk? And what's up with the bandana?"

_I __**do**__ talk, I'm just not talking to you right now. And seriously? You're wearing one too._

"What about it? You and Keegan are wearing 'em too."

_Thank you Hesh._ Doesn't shut him up though. Instead Merrick pulls his bandana down, revealing the rest of his face. _Well shit_.

"There. See? Now I'm not. Keegan?"

"I'm busy, Merrick."

"Fine. Look, point is we're just another couple of grunts. We're all friends here kid. Now, how about you?"

I know he's probably trying to make up for teasing me earlier and that this is probably his ass backwards way of trying to make Hesh and I feel more comfortable around them but we're about to rush a Federation base and letting them know I'm a girl this late in the game isn't in anyone's best interests. Not theirs, not Hesh's, not Ajax's and **certainly** not mine. Now that I've gotten past my initial impression of him I'm sure Merrick actually couldn't care less that I'm a girl. But I can't risk it. I can't risk having them feel like they have to protect me either, that'll just get someone killed. And this far into Federation territory I can't risk getting caught and having someone let it slip that I'm a girl. So no, I won't show them my face and I tell Merrick as much with a shake of my head.

"Seriously? This is fucking ridiculous."

He shifts forward, moving to pull my bandana down himself. I don't even have to react to it though because as soon as he moves toward me Riley's up and growling at him, teeth bared and ready to snap at him. _Good boy._ He raises his hands defensively and sinks back down. Riley relaxes and I pat him affectionately while I smirk at Merrick.

"Remote sniper's online. Sync up."

Keegan shifts out of my way to let me sync with the remote sniper. Once it's done I start to scan the stadium. _Now if I were Ajax, where would I be? Well if they were smart I'd be inside where no one could see me. But if they weren't... Wait a sec, are those assholes playing soccer? Never mind, where's-? Aha!_

_"_There. In the press box_."_

I jump when I hear Keegan's voice in my ear. Apparently he's been watching over my shoulder this whole time, I turn to fix him with a hard stare. He just stares back.

"Twelve o'clock. Zoom in."

I don't really want to be the first to look away but we've got a job to do. I hold Keegan's gaze for a few seconds longer before turning back to the video feed and zooming in as he said.

"That's him."

Merrick hurries over while we watch some Feds beat on Ajax. One's lounging in the stadium seats, feet propped up. He raises a hand and the beating stops. He gets to his feet and walks over, standing behind Ajax. The Fed says something to him and his response is to raise one weary hand, middle finger standing tall.

"That's our boy!" Merrick says with obvious pride in his voice, clapping me on the back.

I wince when the Feds respond to Ajax by bringing the butt of a rifle down against the back of his head. He slumps down, out cold. Two Feds grab him and start to haul him off.

"They're moving him. We should go. **Now**."

_So that's why Dad sent us._ Hesh apparently doesn't get it because his eyes have gone wide with surprise.

"We're going in there? What about backup?"

_Are you kidding me? _He picks up on the look I shoot him fairly quickly and realization creeps across his face while embarrassment stains his cheeks pink. At least, I think it's embarrassment, then again it could just as easily be sunburn.

"Oh. That's why we're here. But, I mean, we're it?"

"Yeah. So don't fuck up," Merrick says halfway teasing before turning fully serious, "Alright, Hesh you're on look out, give us heads up when you see that next convoy clearing the corner. Charlie, pick up that grenade launcher."

Hesh heads over to his spot while I shove the tablet into my pack. I walk to our "window" and pick up the grenade launcher. I'm prepping it when Merrick comes over with a grenade launcher of his own.

"OK kid, make sure you pick your shots carefully. I know you can, that's why you're over here. We'll have to trigger them to detonate."

I just nod and Merrick takes up a spot beside me.

"Convoy incoming."

"That's our cue," Merrick says, hefting his grenade launcher up, "Tag the trucks."

I hoist my own grenade launcher and prepare to fire as the convoy comes into view. The launcher's heavier than the equipment I'm used to using but other than that the whole thing is pretty much just business as usual. Aim and fire. Aim and fire. Aim and fire, the action so automatic that I could practically do this in my sleep; it's so familiar it's actually quite soothing.

"Convoy clear. Let's move."

I hurry over to Hesh and fall into step alongside my brother, Riley trotting along with us. The air vibrates as a couple birds take off and pass by overhead. We all freeze and watch them go.

"Looks like they're moving out," says Merrick, "Something's up."

He says something else but Hesh and I are down in the garage and he's hanging back with Keegan far enough that we can't hear what they're saying. Almost seems like they're arguing. They both glance down here, looking first at Hesh and then me. Merrick says something and Keegan just shakes his head before heading down here and hopping in the cab of the truck. _That was weird._ Merrick walks over to us, pulling a detonator from his pocket and handing it to me before pulling his bandana back up.

"Kid you're up front with Keegan, Hesh with me in the back," Hesh shoots me a worried look; Merrick catches it and looks between us, "Is there a problem?"

I meet Hesh's gaze and shake my head.

"No Merrick, no problem."

"Alright, let's load up then."

Hesh moves uneasily toward the back. I know he's worried about me so I smile from behind my bandana and give him a reassuring nod. Riley's whining and scratching at the passenger door so I open it and he hops right in, planting himself on the seat beside Keegan. I climb in, pull the door closed and scratch Riley behind the ears as Keegan starts the truck.

"Watch and learn, kid."

Merrick's voice comes over comms, "They're moving Ajax, so our window's closing fast. We'll hit 'em at home plate and work our way up from there."

The truck lurches forward and I brace myself as we turn out of the garage and onto the street. _Here goes nothing_. I'm nervous and jittery and try as I might I can't quite keep my leg from bouncing up and down. Keegan looks over as we round another corner and once we've straightened out he places a hand on my shoulder, gives it a quick reassuring squeeze before placing his hand back on the wheel.

"Relax kid. You've got this."

Take a deep breath to settle myself but the calming effect of Keegan's words is almost immediate. My leg stops shaking. Send him a grateful smile through my bandana and hope he gets it. I think he does. Keegan seems pretty sharp. In fact, I wouldn't be all that surprised if he's already figured out that I'm Hesh's baby sister, not Elias's little boy.

"Approaching gate," Keegan says over comms to prepare everyone as we near the base before speaking solely to me, "Blow the charges when you're ready."

I nod and pull out the detonator. Once we pass the truck farthest from the gate I use it and the trucks start to light up. Feds are scrambling in confusion, unsure what the hell is happening. Well, at least until we ram the remains of a truck blocking our way in. After that all hell breaks loose. Bullets and RPGs are flying from every which way as Keegan floors it and pushes through.

"Weapons free!"

I fire out the busted windshield, hitting a couple Feds but missing more often than not as our truck starts to jerk from side to side. Keegan responds to the irritated glare I send him with one of his own.

"I can't help it! They're boxing us in!"

He's right. Trucks slam into us from either side and force us to go roaring toward the lower stadium seats.

"Shit! Hang on!"

We shoot up the stairs, crashing through the gate, before colliding with a wall and stopping. Riley goes flying through a window and for one horrifying second my stomach drops, thinking he's been thrown from the truck. When his jaws close around a Fed I let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't being thrown, he was just eager to get to work. The rest of us follow his example and bail out to join him. Feds are screaming and scrambling for cover, some still trying to figure out what happened while others find cover and open fire.

"Ajax is through this atrium," says Merrick, "Move! Move! Move! Hurry, before more guys get here!"

We're going to have to move quick and that means I'm not hauling along this damn launcher. I empty it of ammo, firing grenades into the thick of everything, targeting different positions they've taken for cover. They're all still scattering and panicked when I drop the empty launcher and swipe the mags in front of me. Merrick, Hesh and Keegan have broken from our initial cover and moved up while I've broken out my L115 and Riley's decided to hang back and stick to my side. _Thanks boy_. Pick off a couple of Feds overhead and some that are firing from farther out but I'm going to need a better vantage point if I want to keep using this. Keegan and Merrick, mostly Merrick, are shouting over the comms and telling us we need to hurry and press forward, that Ajax doesn't have long. I swap my rifles and pat Riley. He hops up and follows along as I creep along the side, through the various vendor stalls, moving closer and closer to the stairs I know will take me to the bridge on the atrium's second level.

I reach the end of the stalls and send Riley running after the nearest Fed while I take off running for the stairs. Hear Hesh swearing somewhere behind me but I don't stop. At the top of the stairs there's a Fed but thankfully he's just as surprised to see me as I am to see him. Before he can come to his senses and, oh I don't know, shoot me, I rush him. I pull a blade as I close the distance, driving it between the protective plates of his armor and dropping him. Riley runs up the stairs and parks at my side to watch my back while I pull my L115 and start picking off Feds so everyone can move up. Once they reach the stairs I swap rifles again and start down the stairs at the other end of the bridge, making sure there aren't any stragglers before I meet up with the guys.

"Ajax should be up here. Fingers on triggers," Merrick says before leading us up the stairs and to a set of doors; we stack up, "This should be where they're holding him. Check it out with the remote sniper. We'll breach on your shot."

I nod my acknowledgement and park myself in a corner so I can fish the tablet out of my pack. When the feed is up I'm able to scope out the room. It's chock full of Feds but there's no sign of Ajax. _Damn it._ _We've got to get in there._ I line up a shot on a lone Fed that's wandered off into a corner and fire. He drops and the guys storm the room while I hang back, picking off the Feds on the balcony. When the last one falls I pack my tablet and Riley and I join the others. One Fed's still alive, shot through the leg and groaning in agony. Riley lets out a growl before charging him. _Shit_. I run after him, grabbing hold of the back of his vest and jerking him back as he snaps at the man, trying to rip out his throat. The man starts to inch away, shouting in Spanish as he does. Something about Riley; I never did bother learning Spanish but I do recognize the word for dog. Keegan reaches down and grabs the guy by the neck of his shirt. He yanks him to his feet and slams him into the wall, pinning him there with a knife at his throat.

"Where is he? Where is he?! Where did you take him?!"

"I-I don't know where he is!"

I release Riley and he starts sniffing around, me trailing behind him. He whines, turning to nudge my leg to make sure he has my attention. He does, so I whack Hesh in the arm as we pass by him and gesture to Riley.

"Riley's got his scent!" Hesh calls to the others.

"Let's go," says Merrick.

Then I hear protests followed by the thump of a body and rustling as, I assume, Keegan sheathes his blade. The Fed's still back there, choking and gurgling, but I block that out as we move forward, sliding down a concrete slab. There's the familiar boom whoosh of an RPG and I know we're in trouble even before I hear Merrick cry ambush. One explodes nearby and I feel myself fly through the air before colliding hard with the concrete. Everything goes fuzzy for a bit and my head's swimming. Hesh is screaming my name but it's echoing and ringing in my ears. _Ah hell, not again._

"Charlie!" Keegan's calling now, still ringing.

A hand closes around my bicep and I'm pulled to cover as another RPG fires. Keegan leans over me, covering me as it impacts nearby and sends a spray of debris flying over us.

"Kid? Kid?!" Keegan calls, his worried blue eyes the first thing I see as everything comes back into focus, "You OK?"

I give a hesitant nod as Keegan helps me into a sitting position and hands me the tablet he's pulled from my pack.

"Use the remote sniper to clear those RPGs!"

_No... really Merrick? I thought we'd just sit here and wait for them to get bored._ The remote sniper comes on and I'm quick to take out the Feds that ambushed us before they can get off any decent shots. Once it's quiet Merrick gives the all clear, Keegan helps me to my feet, and we continue on after Riley. We get to the ledge and I follow Riley down a fallen beam while the others simply drop down into the water. We slow as we come to a shuttered door and stop, I'm watching the groups of feet passing by underneath it. I notice Keegan watching the feet as well so I'm not surprised when I hear him speak.

"Enemy patrols. Probably a dozen guys total."

"Damn it. We don't have time for this. Gas masks on," Merrick says; we all follow his order, "Throw gas under the door."

We roll canisters of tear gas under the door and within seconds a couple of Feds burst through the other door, hacking and coughing. Hesh and I fire, they drop, and Keegan raises the shutter so we don't all have to squeeze through one doorway. We move to the hall and the four of us open fire on the distracted Feds. A few at the edges of the tear gas manage to take off running but we drop them pretty fast.

"Move! Quick! Before they move him again," Merrick says, urging us forward.

I move up and drop a few more Feds before shifting left into an old practice area with Merrick and Riley following close behind. _Huh, must've been used for BP... Charlie, focus!_ We continue to press forward, stopping behind cover once we get near a darkened office lit by flares. I'm not stupid enough to go charging in there blind so I chuck a canister of tear gas in to clear it out for me. Sure enough a few seconds and hacking coughs later a handful of Feds come pouring out. Merrick and I put them down and move forward, clearing the office. Keegan's by the exit, reloading, and a Fed across the way has him in his sights. _Shit_. I pop off a couple of rounds, dropping him before Keegan's even finished.

"Thanks kid," Keegan says as Merrick and I step out, rejoining him and my brother.

I respond with a polite nod. _Any time._ Riley headbutts my leg before running a circle around me and trotting off. I jerk my head in his direction and take off after him.

"Looks like Riley's got his scent again," Hesh says.

_Why, thank you brother for narrating. _I take the stairs closest to our entrance and head down after Riley, watching the rows of chairs as I go to make sure they're clear. I follow him up the stairs and into a hallway bathed red by the light of flares. _Yeah, that's not creepy at **all**. _Riley takes off running for the door at the end, planting himself beside it. There's open doors on both sides of the hallway though, and that makes me nervous. Sure no one shot my dog but after the ambush earlier we can't really risk **not** checking them. So I motion to my brother, I'll take the left so long as he takes the right.

"You go left, I go right. Got it."

I'm more than a little surprised when it's Keegan that responds and turn to look at him. He's watching me expectantly so I just nod before slipping into the room on the left to clear it. It's a mess. There's chairs and old jerseys askew, broken glass and discarded papers littering the floor but it's clear. Same with the next room so I head back into the hall.

"All clear," Keegan says softly as he steps out of one of the rooms on his side and I nod.

_Mine too. _Hesh and Merrick join us at the end of the hall and stack up on either side of the doorway. Merrick looks at the gap in the wall behind Keegan.

"Keegan, take the kid and see if you guys can find another entrance. We'll wait for your signal."

Keegan nods before stooping down to grab the flare lighting the hole in the wall. He ventures in and I follow.

"You and me, Charlie."

He practically has to double over to get under the debris midway through, I just duck my head and stoop a little and I'm clear. There's footsteps. Keegan looks back at me for a second. I don't know if he's checking to make sure it's not me or if he thinks I'm going to handle it or what but with him in front of me I can't do jack shit. He seems to realize that because he turns and chucks the flare at the Fed that's just appeared before rushing him with a knife. My rifle's trained on the pair of them, just in case, but Keegan doesn't need my help. _Impressive sir!_ He drops the Fed and checks to make sure we're clear before picking the flare back up and waving me through. Head down the hall and we find a set of doors almost identical to the ones we left Hesh and Merrick at. Keegan drops the flare but keeps his pistol trained on the door as we stack up.

"We found another door. No guards."

"We'll wait for your go," says Merrick.

I watch as Keegan pulls a second pistol and readies himself. _Reminds of a quick draw gunslinger from one of those old Westerns Dad used to make us watch. Heh._ The image of Keegan wearing a ten-gallon hat pops into my head and I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from busting up laughing. _**So** not the time or place Charlie. _My almost laughing fit passes as quickly as it came.

"You ready kid?" Keegan asks and I nod, "Alright, hit 'em with the gas first. We'll breach in five."

I nod again before readying a canister and cracking the door just enough to chuck it inside. Can hear them panicking. _1. 2. 3. 4. 5._ We nod to one another and burst through the door. The four of us open fire on the confused Feds and within seconds the room's cleared. Riley bolts through it. I take off after him and Keegan comes running after me. _Holy crap it's dark in here_. I follow Riley blindly, stumbling a couple times and coming pretty damn close to falling before we stop. Riley's whining and I can hear raspy breathing so I pull my mask from my face, hoping I'll be able to see just a little better. Nope. Keegan's got a flashlight though. He flips it on and before he makes it very far the beam falls across Ajax at mine and Riley's feet.

"AJAX!"

He looks horrible. His arms and legs are bound, his face cut and bloody, his one eye is nearly swollen shut and his blood is spattered across the floor. _He's not going to make it._ Riley's whining and licking his face, trying to help. Keegan drops the flashlight and sprints over, lifting his comrade's head into his lap and cradling it there. I pull Riley back to keep him out of the way.

"How is he?" Hesh asks softly as he comes to stand beside me.

"It's bad."

"Son of a bitch! Hang in there, Ajax. Just hang on buddy."

Keegan's voice is raw with emotion and Merrick sounds like he's fighting back tears. Ajax inhales, the breath filling his lungs with a deathly rattle, and speaks.

"Rorke," he says, sounding almost desperate, "It was Rorke. He's targeting... Look... at the wall..."

He's fading fast. I grab Hesh's arm and pull him away from the trio of Ghosts on the floor. I steal a flare from my brother's pack, light it, and hand it to him before heading for the wall, Hesh and Riley following behind me as I try to give the others what privacy we can. Hesh lifts the flare as we reach the wall. _Holy shit... Can you say crazy-ass psycho-killer?_ There's papers tacked to the wall, some handwritten lists and others redacted messes with only a few words visible. There's photos of men with either skulls on their masks or painted over their faces, one plain headshot of Merrick. Strings connect different items. And in the middle of this rat's nest of insanity there's a mask pinned to the wall. _Must be Ajax's. _I unpin it and hold it gingerly in my hands.

"Come on man, you know you can't leave. Who else is gonna keep Kick and Booth under control?"

"He's gone, Merrick."

Merrick swears and even though I saw this coming my heart sinks a little. _Damn it. We were **so** close_.

"Merrick, you should come see this," Hesh says solemnly.

"Get him ready to move."

Merrick rises and comes over to join us. I reach up and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder when he stops beside me before handing him the mask I'd taken from the wall. He gives me a small, grateful smile as he takes it and then stares wide-eyed at the wall before swearing.

"It's a fucking kill list. Rorke's targeting Ghosts."

"Who the hell is Rorke?"

_Easy Hesh, they just lost their friend_. Patience never has been one of my brother's strengths. Merrick opens his mouth like he's going to respond before a Fed radio springs to life, spewing biting Spanish into the room. I don't know what they're saying but they sure sound pissed.

"No time to explain, kid. They're coming in and we need to move. Keegan, bring him. We leave now."

Keegan hoists Ajax over his back and we all hurry back to the clubhouse.

"Not bad boys, but you've got to get back to L.A. ASAP."

There's some more angry chatter and the doors to the field fly open followed by a barrage of enemy gunfire. Before Merrick can say a word I've pulled my tablet out and opened fire with the remote sniper, hoping to give us some sort of opening. Merrick's watching the screen over my shoulder and suddenly points.

"There! Those birds are our ride out of here. We'll take the one on the far side of the field. Take out those LMGs, clear us a path and watch our asses. OK kid?"

I nod and get to work, making short work of the Feds with LMGs and anyone that gets too close to our boys. They make it safely to the helo and pile in.

"We made it, thanks. Taking off!" Merrick says; I watch as the helo starts to take off before shoving the tablet into my pack, "We're good. Now get your asses to that bird and get yourselves home! Good luck!"

Hesh and I fire at the incoming Fed troops, trying to clear a path to the helo but one slips by and climbs aboard, preparing to take off.

"Shit! Hesh, our ride's leaving! Riley! Sic 'em!"

Riley takes off like a shot, leaping aboard and taking down the Fed before the bird can do anything more than hover a couple feet from the ground. It drops back to the earth.

"We've got a clear path! Get to the bird Charlie!"

The two of us book it, firing as we need to. We reach the helo and hop in; Hesh in front, Riley and I in back.

"Cover us with the remote sniper so we can take off."

I don't bother responding. I just pull out the tablet one last time and open fire. Take out the gunners on the trucks first, then I take down the Fed with the RPG. After that it's pretty much just open season. Any Fed unlucky enough to wander into my crosshairs goes down as our bird rises into the air. Once we're clear I put the tablet back and pull on my headset.

"Command, this is Viking, we've acquires an enemy helo and are RTB from South of the wall. Do you copy?" says Hesh.

"Hesh, Charlie, can you hear me?!"

_Oh crap... This can't be good._

"Dad?!" Hesh and I respond.

"We've got a full Federation division moving on Fort Santa Monica! You two have to get back here quick!"

There's interference. Makes everything sound hazy, forces it to cut in and out.

"Dad? Dad?!"

No answer. We're both worried, can tell by the tense set of my brother's shoulders. He's flying like a bat out of hell, trying to get us home. Hopefully it's still there by the time we reach it.


	7. Ch 6 - Homecoming

**A/N: Sorry I didn't get anything up last week. I was on the road trip from Hell and wasn't aware I'd be going on said trip until a couple days before I had to leave. Haven, once again thank you for the encouragement and for taking the time to review. As before, I don't own COD: Ghosts or its characters etc. I do however claim responsibility for Charlie's snark and awkwardness, along with Ryder. As always, reviews are welcome.**

It takes us about an hour to get back to Santa Monica and that's about one hour too long as far as me and my brother are concerned. My stomach's in knots the entire flight back and I'm getting antsy so I start bouncing my leg. Neither of us knows what to expect but we know it won't be good.

"I bet that son of a bitch planned this."

"What? Who are you talking about Char?"

"Rorke. He mentioned an Operation: Homecoming when we were watching him, remember? This has to be what he was talking about," I say as Santa Monica comes into sight.

The beach is crawling with Feds. Massive ships lurking just off the coast serve as a reminder of how woefully outmatched we are, we've **been** since this war started. Normally in a firefight there are these random breaks in action. Maybe someone has to take a piss or somebody's jonesing for some beef teriyaki or some FNG runs his mag dry, whatever, point is it is never constant gunfire like the movies make it out to be. Except now. There are so many different firefights going as we circle looking for a place to set down that there's no end to the gunfire ringing in the air. It's like nothing I've ever seen. And there's no way Rorke's not part of it.

"He's here," I say with absolute certainty as a sickening feeling spreads through my gut.

"You see him?" Hesh asks surprised, finally spotting somewhere to set down.

"No. Just a feeling. Besides, if it were my op I'd be here. Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Hesh says and I can tell the prospect of running into Rorke makes him uneasy too, "Tell you what, we see that bastard and we'll put a few rounds in him for Ajax but we aren't going to waste our time looking for him. We've got to try and hold off these Feds and find Dad. **That's** our priority."

"Fair enough."

We touch down and are immediately surrounded.

"Hold your fire!" I hear as the whir of the helo's blades starts to die down, "Those are our guys!"

_Yes. __**Please**__ don't shoot us._ Hesh, Riley and I hop out of the helo and are greeted by a small group of soldiers, only one of which **isn't** pointing his rifle at us. As the others see that we are, in fact, Americans they lower their weapons and an LT comes forward.

"You Viking?"

"Yeah! How can we help?!"

"Command needs more men on the front line!"

"Alright, meet us by the command center! I'm going to leave our dog with you! The rest of you are with us! Let's move out!"

The LT steps to the side to let us all go by. Hesh and the others take off at a jog.

"Here," I say as I hand him the L115 I found in San Diego, "It's not going to do me any good down there. Be good Riley!"

With that I take off running after my brother, only slowing as I pass through a makeshift field hospital. Every bed's full and even louder than the din of gunfire surrounding us are the pained cries of fallen soldiers. Some are bleeding, others burned, a few have lost entire limbs. I've been a soldier since I was 16. I've killed. I've seen men die. I've held friends in my arms as they've choked on their own blood but I've never seen anything like this and I know most of the soldiers rushing into battle with me haven't either. We've been part of raids and skirmishes, this is different. It's all out war and I don't know that we're ready for it.

"Hey, you OK Char?" Hesh asks, loud enough for me to hear it but soft enough that I'm the only one that does.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

Hesh shoots me a dubious look but doesn't say anything else to me as we join the others and head toward the gunfire. He gets on his comms so we'll have a better idea of where we're needed.

"Command, this is Viking. Are you still there?"

"Affirmative, Viking, but we're losing ground. We need you to help reinforce the beachfront."

"On our way," Hesh says as we switch up our direction and head for the beach; I can hear the anxiety in his voice when he asks his next question, "Any word from Captain Walker's command post?"

I find myself holding my breath as I wait for Command's response and my heart sinks when they finally do.

"Negative. Defensive teams were holding that position. I'm sure he made it out, son."

Hesh doesn't bother responding just heads into a burning building along the beachfront, me at his side. I think of the plea etched into Mom's medallion and pray for just that. _St. Michael protect us... and **please** keep our father safe. _We rush up the stairs, the heat from the flames ravaging the house making my skin unbearably hot. A soldier's seated, leaning against the wall and raising a trembling hand toward blood covered shrapnel poking from his eye as he starts to hyperventilate.

"Easy there Private," I say as I take hold of his shaking hand, "Let's get you to the medic, alright? On three. 1, 2, 3!"

Heave the guy to his feet and hand him off to one of the men behind me.

"Make sure he gets to a medic!"

He takes him and nods before heading back toward our makeshift hospital. I catch up to Hesh on the balcony.

"Get on that gun and start laying down fire! I'll direct CAS!"

I do as I'm told and hop on the MG mounted there. Feds scatter when I open fire. A helo tries to drop some reinforcements and I fire on it until it bursts into flames and goes crashing into the sand. Fire on some Feds while Hesh screams into his comms, trying to be heard over the cacophony of gunfire. Another helo tries to drop more reinforcements and I put it down as well. It smashes into the tank I'd been sporadically firing on sending its occupants scurrying out as flaming fuel makes its way inside. The Feds start to fall back and for half a second there's a triumphant smirk on my face. It's quickly wiped away by the red smoke that starts pouring over our position. _Shit. Those bastards are marking us. _I have half a mind to stay where I am and continue firing on whatever's headed our way but Hesh isn't having any of that. He grabs my pack and pulls me away from the MG, throwing me to the ground.

"What the hell Charlie?! Get your crazy ass down before you get shot!"

We all brace as the enemy artillery hits, shaking the crap out of us. Hesh is screaming into his comms about the drones. I try to hop up and get back on the MG but Hesh is pulling me down again.

"What the hell did I **just** say?!" Hesh says angrily, more artillery and the MG's hit, kaput, "See! What did I tell you?! Now **stay down**! Drones should be ready to go now! Get on it Charlie!"

I fish out my tablet as a swarm of bullets buzzes by overhead. Hesh curses and ducks back into cover.

"Waiting on you Char!"

Pull up control of the A10 on my tablet and even though we're under fire the situation on the beach is worse. Target a second tank and the Feds trying to hurry away. Hesh and drone control are both talking but I block it out and focus on my next run while I wait for the A10 to reposition. Once it's in position I open fire, hitting a few Feds but focusing most of my fire on the bird that's got us pinned. It's down. Everyone's cheering while I find a carabiner and hook my tablet to my belt. It's bulky and annoying as hell but it's a lot easier than digging it out of my pack every time I need it and I've got a feeling I'm not done using it yet. The downed bird crashes to the sand, shaking our balcony and cutting the celebration short with a horrendous crack as said balcony detaches from the house. _Shit!_ Hesh may or may not be the one screaming for everybody to hold on but it's not going to make the slightest difference. Fall from this height we should all be fine so long as nobody lands on their head... Or the helo... Or gets impaled... Or.

"Charlie? Charlie!"

Hesh's voice is echoing, rattling around my brain but I force my eyes open anyway and groan before reaching for my rifle and starting to haul myself to my feet. Hesh helps pull me up and gives me a once over.

"You're good! Up and at 'em! Targets in the trenches! Grab some cover!"

I run after him and duck into cover. Thankfully my tablet survived the fall as well. With that figured out I pop up and drop a few Feds so we can press forward.

"Drone Control's defensive teams are reporting massive casualties and need assistance."

"Roger that! Patch me through!"

"We're surrounded on all sides! Does anyone copy?!"

"Copy! This is Viking Actual! We're moving through the trenches! Hang tight, we'll get there!"

Command comes over comms warning everyone that we'll be moving through the trenches which is nice because I'd rather not be shot by one of our own. The private next to me goes ashen and tries to get Hesh's attention.

"But sir! Those trenches are crawling with Feds!"

"They're also the fastest way to Drone Control!" I respond and Hesh just gives me the nod to take this one, "If that tower goes down all A10 Drones go offline and we lose the beach! Now move!"

Hesh and I don't wait for him to respond. We're up and pressing forward, trading shots with the Feds. I neutralize the two Feds in the lifeguard tower and we move deeper into the trenches. Hesh warns command about the hovercraft before it passes by overhead, kicking up sand and blowing it around fast enough that it's stinging my skin. Damn thing about blows me over but Hesh catches my arm and helps me steady myself. Can't hear anything either, at least not until it's passed.

"Enemy tank pulling out of the hovercraft! No way MG fire is going to chew through that armor!"

"Shit!" Hesh says before turning to me, "Charlie!"

"On it!"

I'm crouched down into cover, Hesh at my side covering me so I can pull up the A10 controls on my tablet. _I knew I wasn't through with you. _It's up and I'm quick to take out the tank before it can do any damage. Hesh shoots me a grin but before he can say anything Drone Control comes over the comms, panicked.

"We're surrounded on all sides! Viking! What's your ETA?!"

"We're almost there! Hold on!"

We rush forward without any interference until the tower comes into view. That's when we see a couple frickin' companies worth of Feds surrounding the tower.

"Shit! Drone Control! There are enemy forces swarming at your door! We need air support on your position, it's the only way we'll be able to get through!"

"Roger that! Repositioning drones now! The tower will be in your killzone! Watch your fire!"

Hesh doesn't even have to say anything. I'm already on my tablet and once the drones are in position I start raining hell on the Feds, taking out a couple of tanks and a handful of soldiers before the drone has to reposition. Drone Control is congratulating me on a good run while Hesh shouts that there's still too many Feds. Too many voices so I block them out and focus on my next run. Drone's back and I fire on the lone bird firing on our position before turning back to firing on Fed ground troops. Just as I do Drone Control speaks and it chills the blood in my veins.

"They're locked on to us! Evasive maneuvers!"

There's a loud crash and boom followed by words none of us wanted to hear.

"Drone Two's been hit! Drone Two's been hit! It's going down!"

No one can respond though because there's a dreadful whistle cutting through the air. I look up just in time to see a missile hit the tower. Hesh calls out but there's no response. Just silence.

"We've got to help Hesh! Let's move!"

I take off running. Hesh swears and hangs back for a minute to give Command a sitrep. Command spreads the word as Hesh comes running to my side.

"All units this is Command. A10 Drone Support is now offline. Fall back to secondary defensive positions. I repeat all units retreat from the beach."

_We're not going to be able to hold the fort. _Hesh shoots me a look before we open fire on the remaining Feds and I know he feels the same way. We've lost it. Fort Santa Monica has fallen. At this point I'm just praying that my family makes it through this whole and that Ryder isn't here now that everything's falling apart. _Please, **please** be safe Ry._

"That's the last of 'em! Let's move!" Hesh says, commanding the men with us, "Evac the injured and fall back!"

We move through Drone Control but that hit did a lot of damage. Between that and the troops already here there isn't really anyone left to evac so we move on. We're hardly clear of Drone Control when the mortars start falling. It's like the world's worst game of dodgeball as we run forward, trying to reach the street Dad's command post is on to regroup. One of the men beside me loses his footing as a shell drops nearby, damn near knocking us to the ground.

"On your feet!" I shout as I haul him to his feet and push him forward, "Move your ass soldier!"

Hesh has paused at the sandbag barricade, lending a hand to anyone that needs it until I hop over and we take off.

"Dad's place is down the next street! Hurry!"

We come running up and I see Riley barking and jumping around beside the LT.

"Trade ya! Riley, come on boy! The rest of you, with the Lieutenant!"

Hesh and I start toward Dad's but the LT calls out.

"Walker! What about you?!"

"We've got to make sure our Dad got out!" Hesh says.

Before the LT can say anything else one of the men calls attention to the Feds fast roping in up the street. We open fire and rush forward as everyone else falls back. Hesh is messing with the door when I hear the familiar angry buzz of bullets and duck. Sure enough there's Feds behind us. I return fire.

"Any day now Hesh!"

"I'm working on it Char!" Hesh replies, straining as he lifts the door, "Get inside!"

I pop off a couple more rounds before ducking beneath the door and getting my ass inside. From the outside it didn't look too bad but inside everything's burning. We check the few bodies we pass, just to be sure but no one has a pulse. That just makes Hesh more anxious.

"Elias?! Dad?! Up the stairs!"

The second floor's just as bad as the first. A support beam's fallen across our path. It's on fire so there's no going over it but it's close enough to the ground that we can't squeeze through underneath either.

"We need to make sure Dad got out!"

Hesh swears before moving to it and gripping the small section **not** on fire so he can lift it. It's not much but it should do. I drop to my stomach and silently hope my brother doesn't let me get pinned before crawling forward.

"Here! See if you can move under this thing! Let's go! Let's go!" I've barely cleared it when I hear Hesh swear, "Shit! Watch out! You OK Char?"

My immediate response is a few choice words as I swat at and smother the small fire on my pant leg.

"I'm fine! I don't think I'm burned and I'm pretty sure nothing melted. What are we going to do about you and Riley?"

"I can't get through! But don't worry about us! I'll look for another way around! Just go upstairs and find Dad!"

He doesn't have to tell my twice. I hop to my feet and head for the third floor, rifle at the ready. Out the window I see Feds flooding the street. Even if we find Dad I have no idea how we're getting out of here. _Just find him first_. I turn and head up the stairs.

"Dad?! Elias?! Answer me!"

The door to the third floor is ajar. Cautiously I step forward. I'm not even completely through the door before my rifle's torn from my hands and I'm thrown through the wall. I land hard. My vision's swimming, my head's ringing and I am fighting my hardest not to black out as a Fed in a gas mask looms over me. He kneels, twists his hand in my vest and hauls me up to get a better look at my name.

"It's not him," I hear him say his voice echoing oddly, though whether that's from his mask or my probable concussion I can't say, "It's one of his kids. What do you want me to do?"

Through the crackling static of the Fed's radio I hear Rorke's voice, clear as a bell.

"Kill him."

The Fed drops me and pulls a knife. While I wait for my body to catch up with my brain Riley comes charging in, launching himself through the air. The Fed hits him, flinging him to the side before turning back to me. I catch his hands but he's still able to bring the blade down, I manage to guide it somewhere into my shoulder but it still hurts like hell and I can't quite keep myself from crying out. Can't focus on that though. Have to focus on the knife the son of a bitch is trying to - _Mother of Hell!_ - twist and pull from me so he can stab me again. The fight's over though when Hesh comes running up and puts a few bullets in the Fed, thankfully without shooting me. I groan as the Fed falls against me, the dead weight doing nothing but aggravate my battered body. Hesh drops to his knees beside me and rolls the guy off of me. His eyes go wide and he goes pale at the sight of the bloody knife buried in me.

"Shit, you're bleeding!"

"No shit Sherlock!"

Riley wanders back over to us and begins to lick my face while Hesh assesses my wound.

"You'll be fine. It actually looks worse than it is!"

"Last time you said that I had a fucking **bone** sticking out of my shin!"

Hesh grimaces. I'm not sure if it's at the memory of my leg or his shitty attempt to remove the knife from me.

"**Don't fucking touch it!**"

Before Hesh can argue the ceiling starts to crumble around us. My brother leans protectively over me, shielding me from most of the debris as Keegan and another Ghost rappel down to us. I close my eyes, just for a minute.

"Alright, get us outta here!"

Keegan's voice is weird, echoing like it's bouncing around my skull. Then it's a couple of angry voices instead and I open my eyes. _When did I get on a helicopter?_ Guess that's not really important because Merrick and Hesh are fighting while the new Ghost kneels in front of me, hand on my good shoulder and worry in his eyes. _Why would he be worried? Hey! There's not a knife in my shoulder! Wait... he looks familar._

"Hey! I **said** we're not going anywhere!"

"Calm down, kid!" Keegan says.

"Hey! We just saved your asses!" Merrick says, shoving Hesh into the wall of the helo.

I glare at that and probably would've tried to stand if I weren't being held in place. The Ghost shakes his head at me. Hesh shoves Merrick.

"We didn't need your help!"

_Well that's just not true. _I'm sure that Hesh realizes that but this is just like him, typical hothead Hesh. Merrick pushes back, forcing Hesh into the seat beside me before pulling off his bandana.

"The hell you didn't."

"Stow it! All of you!"

_Wait a second... Seriously?!_ Hesh ignores him and hops back up.

"We have to go back! Our dad's down there and we're not leaving without him!"

He stands as well, places a hand on Hesh's shoulder and guides him back to his seat.

"That's real admirable of you. But your father's not there anymore."

Hesh's shoulders fall and he swallows hard. I roll my eyes and give him a gentle kick.

"Would you relax? He's fine," I say once Hesh meets my eyes before turning toward the man in charge and meeting his gaze, "Isn't he Dad?"

Hesh's eyes snap from me to Dad as he pulls his mask off. Dad shoots me a proud smile before chuckling at Hesh's wide-eyed expression.

"Dad?! This whole time you were one of them? You're a Ghost?!"

"Try **the** Ghost! That's your commanding officer! And **you**," Merrick says, turning toward me, "You can talk? This **whole** time you could talk?!"

"Yeah."

My response irritates Merrick but my dad and Hesh and both grinning, from the way his mask is pulling up it looks like Keegan is too.

"You two have no idea how hard this was for me. But once I make a choice, there's no turning back," I nod in agreement and Dad turns his gaze to me, "You and your brother still have a lot to learn, but you've passed all your tests. Welcome to the Ghosts."

"We're ready," Hesh says clapping me on the back, forcing me to grit my teeth against the pain, "We won't let you down!"

"There's no way you ever could," he says, gingerly removing Hesh's hand from my shoulder, "I'm proud of you. Both of you."

"That's all well and good, but what the hell are we gonna do about Rorke?"

"Rorke?" Hesh says perking at the mention of the name and looking between Merrick and Dad, "That's the guy hunting the Ghosts, right?"

Dad's face darkens and he stands, walking away from us and looking out the window before responding.

"Yeah. He's good, very good. And he knows how we operate."

"How's that possible?"

"He was one of us."

"One of- He was a Ghost?! Explain!" Hesh demands, his voice warping as everything starts to go dark.

Next thing I know there's a worried Keegan kneeling in front of me, pinning me in my seat by my shoulder and calling my name while Hesh, Merrick, and Dad are talking about something... someone... Rorke? Or are they arguing? I don't know.

"What Keegan?"

"Just making sure you're still with me, kid," he says before eyeing my shoulder with concern, "Shit. How about we table that discussion until Charlie can actually follow it? What's our ETA?"

"Not too much longer. Maybe 20 minutes."

Keegan passes the time by sporadically asking me questions to make sure I'm awake. Dad's brooding by the window but it's looking like Hesh and Merrick are making up. Riley's whining and keeps coming over to lay his head in my lap before he inevitably gets in Keegan's way and shoved to the side. We finally touch down. Merrick and Hesh hop out taking Riley with them. Keegan lets me stand, him and Dad watching me warily for any sign I'm going to pass out again as the pilot comes back to join us. _Are you frickin' kidding me?!_

"This is Ryder. He's got to stop by Command so he'll take you to the doc while the rest of us get situated. We've been given a house on base for the Ghosts to use. Once you're both finished you'll both meet us there. Don't worry, Ryder knows where it's at. You're in good hands," Dad reassures me when he catches me staring at Ry.

I just nod. _I know I am._ Keegan catches me staring at Ry too and looks between us curiously but doesn't say anything. We all hop out and he and Dad go one way, Ry and I the other. Even once we're alone he doesn't say anything. His brows are knit together in worry as he pulls out a phone and dials. He frowns when no one answers. Before he dials again he catches me staring.

"Sorry about that mate. It's just, my girlfriend was stationed at that Fort and I don't know that she made it out."

I'm torn between being touched that he's worried and irritated that he doesn't recognize me. In the end I settle for both but mostly I'm just happy to see him. Doesn't stop me from using my good arm to reach up and smack the back of his head though.

"What the hell?!"

"Seriously?" I say, teasing, and his blue eyes go wide as saucers even before I pull my bandana from my face, "We've been dating **how** long and you still don't know what I look like?"

He doesn't say anything, just wraps me in his arms and kisses me thoroughly which would be great if it weren't for my throbbing shoulder. So I break it off with a hiss of pain but Ry doesn't let go of me.

"Easy babe, watch the shoulder."

That does the trick. Ry lets me go with a laugh and we start walking toward Command again.

"You know, I'm so happy to see you that I'm not even sorry. Wait a minute... Bollocks! This means your dad's my CO!"

Ry doesn't think that's very funny but I sure do get a laugh out of it.


	8. Ch 7 - Legends Never Die

**A/N: Shout out to AmericasHeroes: thank you so much for taking the time to review; I'm happy to hear that you like it and thanks for the encouragement. Now, as warning this chapter is going to be a lot of talking because it is in lieu of the flashback mission from the game. I hope it's not too tedious and that y'all can bear with me. We'll also learn a little bit more about Ryder this week. As before, I don't own COD: Ghosts or its characters etc. I do however claim responsibility for Charlie's snark and awkwardness, along with Ryder. As always, reviews are welcome.**

It's about dinnertime by the time Ryder and I are actually finished at Command. Thankfully the doc more or less gave me a clean bill of health. Only a minor concussion, nothing important hit when I was stabbed. In the end all I ended up needing were a few stitches and a quick CT to make sure my brain wasn't bleeding or swelling. From Command we walk toward housing, my pack slung over my good shoulder and my vest draped over my arm despite Ryder's protests; I'm not about to let him baby me. I know which house is ours before we even start toward the door because Merrick's griping about something and **man**, does his voice carry. We enter and head toward the noise to meet up with everyone.

"I'm just saying, I don't see why anyone should have to sleep on the couch so the new baby can have his own room!"

"I assume you mean me, when you say that?"

Merrick turns to glare at me but his eyes go wide with surprise instead. I smirk, dump my gear on the floor and sink down into one of the empty spots on the couch leaving room for Ryder to sit beside me.

"Holy shit! You're a girl?!"

"Why yes, Captain Merrick, indeed I am."

"Told you," Keegan says and Merrick turns toward him, "Now pay up."

Merrick just shakes his head before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a few bills.

"Did you **actually** bet on whether or not I was a girl?" I ask, looking between the pair of them.

Merrick looks sheepish but Keegan just nods as he takes Merrick's money. I shake my head and turn to rummaging through my pack to find the pictures I wanted to show Dad. Once I've found them I go back to studying Merrick and Keegan. It's almost weird seeing them without their masks. I mean, sure I'd seen Merrick without his but never Keegan. Keegan's hair's longer and the lines of his face are a bit sharper than I'd thought and Merrick's beard has a bit more red in it than I'd realized before but other than that they're both kind of exactly what I'd expected. Takes me a minute to realize Merrick's studying me in return.

"Sorry about trying to pull your bandana off. But, you could've told us you were a girl. We wouldn't have cared."

Keegan just nods before lifting his beer to his lips. I sigh and rub my forehead.

"I know. I just... I couldn't risk it, you know? Besides Merrick, the first time we met was in the middle of the DMZ. I didn't know you, I'd never heard of you and we were surrounded by frickin' Feds. Do you really think I was going to take the time to stop and say, 'Oh, by the way, I have breasts.'?"

Apparently I should've waited for Keegan to finish his drink before speaking because my comment ends up making him do a spit-take and choke on his beer. Merrick chuckles but I'm not sure if it's because of me or Keegan.

"Fair enough kid. But, we're good?"

"We're good," I respond with a small smile.

Now that that was settled we were all just hanging out waiting for my dad. _Speak of the devil._

"Charlie, Ryder. Nice of you to join us. How's the arm?"

"It's fine. Hey Dad, Merrick was talking when we came in and I'm fine sharing a room. I'll just bunk with Ryder."

"Can't bunk with him, baby girl. He's got a girlfriend," says Merrick and Ry's face stains red as I smirk.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Kid can't shut up about her."

Keegan shoots him an obvious look before speaking, "**She's** his girlfriend dumb-ass."

Merrick busts up laughing.

"Holy shit! You're dating the boss's daughter?!" Merrick breathes in between fits of laughter, "E-Elias! Your Charlie's the same as Ryder's Charlie!"

Merrick howls with laughter and Dad just shakes his head.

"I know. You really think I didn't realize he was dating my daughter?"

I feel the color drain from my face as Ry's just turns redder.

"Dad, you knew?!"

"Of course I knew. You're both adults, I figured you'd tell me when you were ready. Now, the real question is, is this going to be a problem? You two working together?"

Ryder's flush fades and my color returns as we exchange a look.

"No Dad."

"Of course not, sir."

Dad gives a grunt of acknowledgement and nods. We fall into amicable silence and I hand Dad the photos. He's still looking at them with a smile on his face when Merrick speaks again.

"So, Ryder, how long did it take you to realize you were dating your CO's daughter?"

"Walker's a common surname and you always told me Elias had two **sons**-"

"Oh my God! You didn't even know until today, did you?"

The front door swings open and over Merrick's boisterous laughter we can hear three sets of boots come walking in.

"Food's here!"

"Thank God for that," Ryder mutters under his breath, grateful for the escape.

We all stand and follow Ryder's lead. In the kitchen there's a couple of guys I don't recognize and Hesh doling out paper plates.

"Kick, Booth, this is Charlie. Charlie, Kick and Booth."

We exchange pleasantries while everyone dishes up pizza and settles in around the kitchen. Kick and Booth are hilarious but they're definitely a handful. Merrick's comment to Ajax about needing someone to keep the pair in check suddenly makes a hell of a lot more sense now that I've met them.

"Now," Dad says, his voice rising above the others until they quiet down, "you all know I've never been particularly religious; that was always more of my dear wife Katherine's department. Even after Kat's passing though, we carried on the tradition in our family of saying grace at dinner. And that's something I'd like to share with all of you, if you don't mind, because you boys, well, you're family."

They all grin at that and while I don't know that everyone particularly wants to, no one objects to Dad's proposition so he asks Hesh to offer grace. He rushes through the familiar prayer and turns to Dad before we've all finished saying amen.

"We got the food. Charlie's here. Hell, we even said grace," Hesh says and I can tell he's getting pissed, "Now are you going to tell us about that son of a bitch or not?!"

Everything goes really quiet and still after my brother's outburst. _No patience at all_. Dad looks like the vein in his head's about to burst. I'm still trying to figure out if my brother is so clueless he doesn't realize this is a sore subject for Dad or if he just genuinely has absolutely no tact whatsoever but at this point I know it's in everyone's best interests if I play peacekeeper.

"I think what Hesh is trying to say," I say softly, drawing Dad's attention and taking the floor before anyone can say something they'll regret, "is that if we're going to be of any help to this squad we have to know more about who Rorke is and why he's hunting us all."

Dad's expression softens and I can see Ryder watching me in shock so I turn toward him.

"**See**, I can be diplomatic when I want to be."

Dad smirks at our exchange before sighing heavily as he sinks into his seat.

"To us, Rorke was a legend. The man could walk through hell and not get burned. Ghosts were the best of the best, but Rorke was the reason we were feared. Remember that story I used to tell the two of you?" Hesh and I both nod, "We were all there, well Ryder wasn't but his father was, and Rorke was the one that brought us together. When the the fifteen of us were the only ones left, Rorke was the one to take charge and to get us all home. He was the one that told POTUS that America needed a squad like us and once the President saw the fear we inspired he couldn't help but agree. Rorke was the toughest son of a bitch I ever knew and he used to be my best friend. There was a time that he would've raised you two if anything had ever happened to me."

"He was a hell of a captain. One of the best damn soldiers I've ever seen," Merrick says sounding almost wistful, "Loyal too. Would've done anything for any one of us."

"What changed?" Hesh asks.

"He did," Dad responds sadly before continuing with his story, "It was twelve years ago, when the Federation's military threatened all of South America. Their leader, General Almagro, demanded all U.S. born citizens be imprisoned or executed. It was Rorke who convinced Washington to let the Ghosts solve the problem. The US sent an invasion force to destroy the Federation. Rorke led us to eliminate Almagro. But Rorke became obsessed with him. He talked of the man as if he were a bounty. And it was clear he would stop at nothing to claim that prize."

"He kept it small," says Merrick, "Just four of us. Rorke, Elias, Ajax and myself. We were pinned down by enemy tanks almost immediately. Had to wait for reinforcements before we could move and once we did we were stuck in a parking garage. Fucking wall gave in just as we cleared it, blocking us in. There was no way but up so up we went. Reached the ledge and there was a shitload of Feds in front of us. Trucks, soldiers, birds, missile launchers, you name it. Anyway, Rorke ordered us to hold fire until after one of our helos swung back around and blew those Feds to hell. Damn missile truck got stuck on the fence so while the rest of us were shooting the Feds that were left your old man hopped down and took out the truck so we could all move on to the next one."

"Did you get it?" Hesh asks.

"No," Dad responds, "I got maybe three feet from it and they fired. Knocked me on my ass and blew my helmet clean off. We couldn't figure out what they were targeting until the missile hit the dam just outside the city. The dam crumbled and then it was just a wall of water, headed straight for us. Rorke pulled me to my feet and had us running for cover. When we couldn't find a clear path we made one through a warehouse, even as the water rose around us. By the time the water'd stopped rising and we'd found safe spot on the stairs we were all out of breathe."

"I remember telling Rorke that we should call it, scrub the mission. You remember his response Elias?"

"'We're Ghosts, Merrick. We finish the mission.'"

"Exactly. So we headed for the roof instead, even managed to take out a few Feds before the damn building came out from beneath us and dumped us in the drink."

"That was probably the most scared I've ever been in my life. I was being tossed around in the flood but I managed to grab onto something before I was knocked loose and thrown back into it. I was **sure** I'd never see you two again and then the next thing I knew Gabe was fishing me out."

"Gabe?" I say softly.

"Yeah. Full name Gabriel Theodore Rorke, used to call him Gabe," Dad replies quietly before clearing his throat and assuming his earlier tone, "Anyway, Rorke fished me out and we made for higher ground where we got Merrick's distress call."

"Me and Ajax had managed to stick together after the roof gave way. Hauled our sorry asses out of the drink and even managed to find Almagro. Managed to track him to a hotel before we were pinned down by enemy fire. That's when we put out the call. A few minutes after he answered, Rorke and Elias were dropping down to help us. We managed to cross the flood and get to the parking garage of the hotel before we had to deal with anymore serious fire power."

"And once we'd dealt with that it was a straight shot to Almagro. Merrick and Ajax brought up the rear while Rorke and I rushed him. We were on the helo and I shot a Fed before firing at Almagro. He was maybe five feet away and I missed. Son of a bitch caught my pistol and clocked me, knocked me to floor. He had a pistol in my face and all I could think of was you two, of never getting to see your faces again, never getting to see you grow up. But Gabe- **Rorke**, jumped Almagro and while the two of them were struggling I managed to grab my pistol. Almagro threw Rorke off and was getting ready to shoot him so I emptied a clip into that mad bastard. One of us had hit the pilot though so the helo was going down. We crashed. I blacked out for that bit but I came to just in time to see Almagro's corpse go sliding down the helo and fall into the rapids below as the entire thing started to shift. Tried to move back but it shifted further and sent me sliding forward. I barely managed to catch hold of a couple of wires that had come loose in the crash. I heard Merrick shouting behind me and turned just enough to see Rorke come tumbling down too. He caught hold of a ladder but the damn thing nearly gave under his weight so I reached out and caught hold of him. The bird started to tear apart though and Rorke was pinned by the very ladder that had saved him seconds before."

"What did you do?" Hesh asks even though we both already knew the answer.

"I made the hardest decision of my life. I let him go, and saved the others. He called out to me as he fell... I swear as long as I live I'll never be able to forget that sound."

"So what happened to him?" I ask, knowing this can't be the whole story.

"We searched for his body for weeks. Finally we were pulled and he was declared MIA."

"That still doesn't explain why he's hunting Ghosts," says Hesh.

"This should: the Federation got to him first. Whatever they did, if they can turn him, they can turn anyone. And a Ghost won't stop until he completes his mission."

"So, find him before he finds us," I state simply.

"Exactly. There's a man in Caracas who knows where he sleeps. Victor Ramos. He heads up R&D for the Fed. Few men get close enough to call a man like Rorke 'friend'. Ramos is one. To find Rorke, we're going to have to go back to Caracas, where this all started."

By now everyone's finished eating and we're all clearing our places while Dad rattles off who's bunking with who. I'm more than a little surprised when he actually puts me and Ryder together. By the looks of things so are Ryder and Hesh.

"Wait, Ryder?" Hesh says before turning to shoot me a disapproving glare, "**Your** Ryder?"

"Uh-huh," I respond and he turns his glare to Ryder, "Hey, at least he's not an errand boy right?"

Before Hesh can respond I take Ry's hand and lead him out of the kitchen. _At least Dad seems to like him. Speaking of Dad..._

"Hey Dad, here," I say as I pull Mom's medallion from my shirt and go to take it off, Dad stops me.

"Keep it. She would've wanted you to have it," he smiles and then hands me the photos I'd shown him earlier, "Get some rest, kiddo. Ryder, look after my little girl."

A dumbfounded Ryder simply nods in response and then Dad walks away. Once he's out of earshot Ryder speaks.

"That was weird, right?"

"Uh-huh," I respond, moving to grab my gear; Ryder grabs it first, "What the hell Ry? Give me my stuff!"

"Will you relax? I'm simply taking it upstairs," Ryder says as he hefts my pack onto his shoulder, "You heard your dad. I'm meant to look out for you and you, love, have had one hell of a day. Let me help, **please**?"

I'm about to argue but the way he says "please" kills it; soft, sincere, the damn vocal version of puppy eyes. He **knows** there's no way for me to say no that, it's that charming smirk playing on his lips that gives him away.

"Fine," I relent softly, "Let's go."

I slip my hand into his and we say goodnight to everyone before heading upstairs. Ryder drops my pack off before leaving to talk to my dad about something. While he's gone I get ready for bed and climb into the bottom bunk. Finally being alone gives me time to think and I catch myself starting to dwell and worry over things I can't do anything to change, not that I had much control over them in the first place. _Should've_ _just shot Rorke anyways. Should've been faster, maybe if I had been we could've saved Ajax. Or maybe if I'd actually **talked** to Merrick that would've gotten us there faster. I should've done more in Santa Monica. Should've helped more. Should've made sure more people got out, **could've** made sure more people had gotten out if we'd known not to bother with Dad. Why didn't he just tell us? We could've helped more people- Oh God. Meredith. I don't even know if Mer made it out. I am a **terrible** friend._ I'm still lying there awake when Ry comes back in and quickly readies for bed.

"Hey," he says softly, taking a seat beside me on the mattress when he realizes I'm still awake, "What are you still doing up, Char?"

"Just waiting for you. Had to make sure my dad didn't shoot you," I tease.

"Please, if anyone in your family's going to shoot me we both know it'll be your brother," he says half joking; it gets a tired laugh out of me.

"True."

"Now, why are you **really** still awake Charlie?"

I give a weighty sigh at that before answering, "Oh, you know me. Just thinking-"

"Obsessing."

"About today. I just... I feel like I should've done more."

"There was nothing more you could've done. And fretting over it now won't change anything, love."

"I know. But I should've tried. I mean, I didn't even make sure Mer got out," I confess as I sit up, "I completely forgot about her until just now. I'm a horrible friend."

"One, no you're not. Two, if I'm not mistaken you haven't slept hardly at all the past two days, instead you've spent them being shot at and blown up; I'd be more surprised if she **hadn't** slipped your mind. And three, if by Mer you mean your friend Meredith Barnes, she's fine. I spoke to her earlier. Once to try and make sure you were alright and again just now to let her know that you were safe. I figured you could call her yourself tomorrow."

"Oh Ry!" I exclaim, throwing my arms around his neck, "Thank you!"

"It's no trouble," he says with a chuckle before pressing a kiss to my cheek, "Now get some sleep. Sweet dreams, love."

"G'night Ryder."

He climbs off of my mattress and onto the top bunk, settling into bed quickly. His words were just what I needed to hear to be able to let go of the day and all its worries. Well, not quite all. Even as everything else faded away there was still that one worry that refused to leave. _Rorke_. I lay staring up at the bed above me as his mock execution of Ajax plays out in the shadows on the wall and his order to kill rings in my ears. Hoping to block it out I focus on the chattering voices downstairs, their words impossible to discern. All that does is remind me of the story Dad and Merrick had shared and sends bits and pieces of it swirling through my mind in a whirlwind. Regardless of what he's done it's obvious they all still care for him, or at least the man he once was. But, try as I might, I just **can****not** reconcile the memory of the man they once knew with the cold-blooded bastard that tortured Ajax and ordered my own death. _It just doesn't make sense. They make it sound like he was a good man._ Those are the thoughts that continue to plague me even after the voices downstairs have faded and the house has fallen into silence. Finally I give up trying to figure it out on my own.

"Ry?" I whisper, "Are you awake?"

"Not entirely. Why?"

"Never mind," I say, feeling guilty for having woken him, "It's nothing."

He sighs and then I hear the bunk creak as he climbs down.

"Obviously it's not if it's keeping you awake. Now scoot."

I shift to make room for him and he tosses his pillow down beside mine before sliding into bed beside me.

"What's bothering you?"

"Rorke," I answer softly; Ryder wraps an arm around me, pulling me to his chest, "I just don't get it Ry. From what my dad and Merrick said he was a good man. How does someone go from being like that to being the kind of person that did what he did to Ajax? And it's not **just** the Federation, regardless of what Dad says. It was almost like-"

"Like he enjoyed it?"

"Yeah. Wait," I lift my head to look him in the eye, "did **you** know him?"

"I did. Not quite as well as the others but I suppose that's a good thing, especially now," Ryder coaxes me into laying my head back down before continuing, "And your assessment is correct, at least partially. He **was** a good man, but that was only ever one part of who he was.I'd heard of the Ghosts long before I ever met Rorke. In fact, I imagine I grew up hearing a great many of the same stories from my own father that Elias used to tell you. That story of how they became the Ghosts was the story of Operation: Sand Viper. Now, Sand Viper was a joint operation between the US and its allies. At the time my family was living in England and my father was a member of the 22nd SAS Regiment. He was the only member sent that returned from Sand Viper alive. His enlistment was up shortly after the op and Rorke convinced him to join the Ghosts in America. Mother wasn't thrilled he'd be rejoining the military but she was happy that she'd be coming home."

"Your mom's American?"

"Yes. I was about 10 I believe when we moved here."

"So you're not British, you're American."

"Partially. Now hush. Will you kindly stop interrupting and allow me to finish my story?" I nod, "Thank you. Anyways. I was 10, Father had joined the Ghosts and all went well for a time. My father would come home and tell me stories of his adventures and of his great captain; he became one of my heroes. Then something happened on one of their missions, I'm still not exactly sure what, and he didn't come home. My father died on that mission and the only man still alive that knows why is his captain, Rorke. I became a bit of a handful after that. Mother ended up having to ship me off to boarding school to be with my cousin, I became such an incorrigible brat."

"Hence the accent."

"It's not even that strong anymore, but yes. Now do stop interrupting and allow me to finish my story, **please**. Rorke took it upon himself to lookout for me. He'd visit when he could, tell me stories of my father, encourage me to follow in his footsteps. I worshipped the ground that man walked on. With his help I convinced my mother to let me join the military early and within a couple years I was a Ghost. I didn't work with Rorke long before Caracas happened but it was long enough for me to see who he really was. He took joy in torture. He would go out of his way to inflict pain on those we interrogated. He was a bloody sadist. I called him on it once. The look in his eye when I did... I thought he was going to kill me Charlie. That's when I realized despite everything he'd done for us all he wasn't the infallible hero I'd imagined him to be growing up. He was just a man. And a bit of a psychopathic one at that."

I nod in agreement before speaking softly, "He tortured Ajax."

"I know."

"And he ordered one of his men to kill me."

"What?" Ryder says, suddenly tense, a harsh edge to his voice, "When?"

"Today. The guy that stabbed me realized I was Elias' kid and asked Rorke what he wanted him to do with me. Rorke said to kill me. Don't tell anybody, OK? No one else knows and they don't need to."

"Like hell they don't! What would your father think? Us keeping something like this from him?"

"If you tell him you **know** there's no way he'll let me go after Rorke with the rest of you."

We're both sitting up at this point and locked in a staring contest, neither one of us wanting to yield.

"Maybe he shouldn't. Not if you've got a target on your back just for being his kid."

"Come on Ryder! I'm a Ghost now. I've got a target on my back now regardless of whether or not I'm Elias' kid and you know it."

He sighs and sinks back down into the pillows, running a hand over his face.

"You're right."

"So, you're not going to tell anybody, right?"

He shoots me an exasperated look but I just bat my eyelashes and smile softly.

"**Please** Ry," I say, mimicking the pleading tone he used earlier.

"Fine," he relents.

My smile widens and I kiss him tenderly before settling down against his chest again. He brushes his thumb against my skin and lets out a sigh that ruffles my bangs.

"You're a bloody menace, you know," he says and I can hear the grin in his voice, "Batting those pretty eyes of yours and pleading all soft and sweet... you know I can never say no to that."

"Yeah well, you started it."

Ryder just laughs and kisses the top of my head.

"Good night, Charlie."

"Night, Ry."

Listening to the strong, rhythmic beat of Ry's heart I'm finally able to push all thoughts of Rorke from my mind and drift off, safely wrapped in Ryder's arms.


End file.
